JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Wednesday asked the federal government for consulting tribesmen before the mainstreaming and merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Addressing a press conference here, he said the FATA Jirga held in Convention Centre in Islamabad, it was assured that FATA would be brought into mainstream and JUI-F agreed on that, adding that JUI-F recommended consultation with FATA people instead of referendum.
He said JUI-F also recommended that any decision related to FATA merger be taken after five years and until then the focus should be on rehabilitation and reconstruction so that the displaced persons could lead a normal life. To a question about PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari's statement on FATA merger into KP; he said Zardari is unaware of the political situation in FATA.
To another question, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that religious seminaries are educational institutions and these should be brought into mainstream instead of conducting raids on those, adding that negative propaganda against seminaries should strongly be discourage and due respect be given these institutions. JUI-F chief said that raids and negative propaganda would serve nothing but to create hate in the society.
Meanwhile, the JUI-F chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman has condemned Hayatabad and Mohmand Agency bomb blasts and said that once again conspiracies are on to spread lawlessness in the country. He has also prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls of those killed in these explosions and for early recovery of the injured. He said that after terror incidents in Lahore and Quetta, the incident of Peshawar is futile bid to spread lawlessness in the country. He also expressed heartiest sympathies with families of those died in the incident.