Few days ago the elected members of FATA decided to submit a Motion in the National Assembly Secretariat to merge FATA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to make Executive Council or a separate Province. The decision was made in a joint meeting of FATA Parliamentarian from National Assembly and Senate. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA) have an area of 27,220 square kilometres and approximate population 10 million.
Tribal Areas are regulated by the president under the Articles 246 and 247 of the Constitution. Laws of the country are not applicable and tribesmen cannot relish basic rights as guaranteed by the Constitution. Deprivation of FATA is a serious issue. We can easily assess the backwardness of FATA to know the ground truths. There is not a single University or a Medical College in FATA and only one developed hospital in Bajaur. The literacy rate is only 17% versus national average of 44%. Female literacy is a pathetic 3% versus for the rest of the country. 75% tribesmen are living in KPK and their business, jobs, education everything are there because of worse circumstance and lack of facilities in their own area.
FCR is the barbaric law of British through which they wanted to protect their settled areas from the invasion of FATA and keep control on tribes. The Stone Age law is the pivotal obstacle in the development of tribes. The cruel law contains section which allows the political administration to destroy the house of tribesman in his absence without informing him of his crime or giving him a chance to defend himself. A political agent also has the power of Session Judge and can send a person to scaffold on the basis of a report made by his own personnel and signed by tribal elder. People of FATA have no right to appeal and present the evidence through a lawyer to defend himself.
The people of FATA do not have a respectable forum through which they could highlight their problems. Until now they are deprived of Constitutional rights. Major parties of country and especially ANP want incorporation of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On the other hand some FATA Parliamentarians and PMAP have started struggle for separate Province instead of its amalgamation with KPK. The best solution is to adopt concept prevalent in other parts of world. All countries of the world have made Provinces to distribute powers down.
The total population of Turkey is 70 million and there are 81 provinces, France with 60.5 million population has 26 Provinces, Japan has 127.0 million population and 47 Provinces, Russia with 143.5 million population has 83 Provinces and United States with 316.5 million population has 51 states. And the estimated population of Pakistan in the year 2015 is 191.7 million populations and there are only four Provinces.
The tribal areas have tremendous potential to develop quickly economically, socially and politically if made a Province. New province with maximum autonomy is significant for peace, stability and socio-economic development for the tribal areas. It will also manage jobs, education, health, and other facilities. The people of FATA will be able to make their own decisions being completely aware of ground realities and difficulties of locale. Problems should be solved at the local level, it will not be difficult for tribesmen to express themselves with regional issues and get proper right.
No comments:
Post a Comment