Mohammad Jamil
Addressing a press conference organized by Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA), FATA Lawyers Forum President Rahim Shah demanded of the parliamentarians to pass the 22nd amendment to the Constitution to make FATA part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to a news report, the government is drafting the bill that seeks to repeal the infamous Frontier Crimes Regulations, and extend the jurisdiction of Peshawar High Court to Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which will be welcome by the people of tribal areas. But judicial reforms would not be enough, and FATA should be brought in the political mainstream. The nation has been listening to the rhetoric about reforms for the tribal areas, but without any progress. There are 19 elected representatives from Fata who have been demanding that fundamental rights of the residents be guaranteed. Unfortunately, even the amendments to Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) made in 2011 have not been implemented.
The FCRs were remnants of British Raj framed in 1890 by which the tribal areas were administered through political agents. Under this system, if an individual of a tribe commits a crime, the entire tribe is penalized, which negates the very concept of justice. Apart from judicial reforms, it is imperative to introduce political reforms in tribal areas, as the people of the tribal areas are very much citizens of Pakistan. And under the Constitution they are entitled to the same rights and privileges enjoyed by the people living in other parts of the country. If political reforms are introduced to bring tribal areas in the mainstream politics, political parties could reach the voters, circulate their manifestos and create political awareness. By doing so, moderate trends would flourish and moderate elements would prevail over the extremist elements that have tarnished Pakistan’s image in the world.
The political leaders of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were allowed to join political parties with the extension of political parties order in 2011 for the first time in its history. Had they been part of mainstream politics, it would not have been possible for the extremists’ outfits to aid or abet foreign militants to create problems for Pakistan. Of Course, development in FATA should be undertaken on war footing. The US had taken the responsibility to set up industrial units in FATA and earthquake-hit areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as part of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones to provide boost to the local industry. The project has been shelved by the US for various reasons. Anyhow, it is the responsibility of the federal government to take substantive initiatives to expedite the development of the region, which will provide job opportunities to the people of the area.
