ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Lt Genera (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch Wednesday apprised the Senate that the recommendations on FATA reforms were in final stages and the committee would present its report to the Prime Minister soon.
Responding to a calling attention notice raised by Abdul Qayyum about delay in finalization and implementation of the much needed FATA reforms, the minister said a committee headed by Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz was constituted to propose FATA reforms.
The committee visited the seven agencies of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and held meetings with the elders and civil society members to take their input with regard to reforms in those areas.
He said that the committee recorded two different recommendations in separate meetings with tribal elders, who wanted to continue with the old Jirja system, and youth who were in favour of merging with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said presently, there were host of challenges, including provision of a role to tribals in their affairs, granting right of appeal in courts and abolishing collective responsibility clause of Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), which needed to be addressed.
The minister said a political conference would also be convened to give concrete shape to the recommendations before approval.
He said the tribal people had rendered supreme sacrifices for the country. Currently, there was an immediate challenge to repatriate them to their native areas, besides rehabilitating with providing all basic amenities of life, he added.
Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani sought the Parliament’s role in finalization of the reforms for FATA. The FATA Reforms Committee was sidelining the Parliament, he observed.
Meanwhile, Abdul Qayyum on behalf of Chairman Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis Baz Muhammad Khan presented the report of the committee on the problems being faced by Overseas Pakistanis, in the House.
