Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani indicated in the National Assembly on Wednesday that the government would extend the Political Parties Act to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) to allow formation of political parties in the troubled region.
But he would not specify the time when this would happen, when responding to a grievance of a government-allied independent lawmaker from the area about two identical presidential regulations enforced in Fata and what is known as Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata) to regulate operations of armed forces there in aid of civil power.
Munir Khan Orakzai had threatened a walkout by the parliamentary group he leads to protest against what he called government’s failure to consult the group before the two regulations were enforced by the end of June.
The prime minister said the regulations were necessitated by continuing terrorist attacks on schools and law-enforcement agencies and invited the group for a meeting with him with an assurance that the government would “look into whatever amendments they suggest”.
“We have also discussed extending the Political Parties Act to Fata,” he said apparently referring to some deliberations held within the government and told the Fata parliamentarians that they would be taken into confidence about that also.
Formation of political parties have never been allowed in the tribal areas from where 12 members of the 342-seat National Assembly and eight members of the 100-seat Senate are elected as independents who can align with any political party
without formally joining it.
Extension of the Political Parties Act to Fata was part of PPP-promised reforms for the region, including repeal of the British-era Frontier Crimes Regulation under which the region is administered by bureaucrats known as political agents, who enjoy some arbitrary powers free from judicial or parliamentary oversight.
The act can be extended to the region by only a presidential order rather than a new act parliament.
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