JI marchers reach Faizabad Interchange from Khyber Agency

A day after Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) workers and supporters started their march from Khyber Agency, the marchers have now reached Faizabad Interchange.

The march is being held to merge the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). The convoy reached Faizabad Interchange from Murree Road, Rawalpindi on Tuesday, local media reported.

JI chief Sirajul Haq is also expected to address the participants of the march. The sit-in outside the Parliament House is expected to be continued for three days. The JI has demanded the government to abolish the Frontier Crimes Regulation and announced a long march towards Islamabad.

Earlier while speaking to the media, JI provincial chief Mushtaq Ahmad said, “We will start our long march from Khyber Agency after a sit-in there. Our long march is peaceful and we hope the government will not create any hurdle in our way.”

On Sunday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan had demanded the government to merge FATA with K-P before the 2018 elections as the development of FATA was not possible without its merger with K-P. He had also warned that if the government failed to pass the the FATA reforms bill from the National Assembly, then the tribesmen would march to Islamabad.

On Monday, the government had pulled the FATA reforms package off the agenda of the lower house of parliament. The government cited unspecified technical reasons for removing it from the day’s agenda, local media reported. The opposition members, including members of National Assembly from FATA, protested the move and boycotted the proceedings that were then adjourned.