ISLAMABAD: A coalition of six opposition political parties under the banner of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) on Tuesday demanded the federal government to allocate special development funds for the erstwhile tribal districts to address issues pertaining to health, education and communication.
Speaking at a presser here Asad Qaiser, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, et al along with ex-Fata lawmakers, lamented that even five years after the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the province was not receiving that region’s due share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
Qaiser said that the government would not be allowed to give step motherly treatment to erstwhile tribal areas as the people of the area have rendered countless sacrifices.
The TTAP leaders reminded the federal government about the promises made to the inhabitants of the former tribal areas despite the passage of so many years, saying this injustice is creating a sense of deprivation among the people of the area.
They said that the closure of borders with neighbouring Afghanistan and halting the trade is a wilful attempt of the Centre to cripple the area, economically.
They continued that militancy, terror and the displacement of people had already shattered the economy of the ex-Fata, and with the closure of the border and trade with Afghanistan, things are going from bad to worse.
Qaiser said that a sit-in is going on at Chaman for the last so many months, while a similar sit-in is taking place at Ghulam Khan, a town in north Waziristan, but no one is making any effort to talk to the participants which is shameful.
He further added that the situation of peace and security is deteriorating and unemployment is increasing with each passing day, which may lead to unrest in the region. “I would like to request to the people at the helm of affairs to wake up from the deep slumber or it will be too late,” he maintained.
The lawmakers from erstwhile Fata demanded the Centre to talk to the sit-in participants and a committee should be formed to resolve the demands.
Achakzai said that the merged tribal districts should be given their due rights, adding the federal government should allocate special funds for them in the forthcoming budget.
He claimed the people and the armed forces are being incited against each other, adding “if you can hold talks with the Taliban, why don’t you speak to your own people.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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