Merged districts of erstwhile tribal areas of KP: PTI rejects revival of jirga system

ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday rejected a federal committee tasked with reviving the jirga system in the merged districts of the erstwhile tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, terming it unconstitutional and calling for its immediate dissolution.

Speaking at a press conference, acting PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan – flanked by senior leaders Shah Farman and party spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram – described the panel, led by Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Engineer Amir Muqam and constituted on June 25, as an unconstitutional intrusion into provincial jurisdiction.

“After the 25th Constitutional Amendment, full authority over the jirga system in the merged districts of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) lies with the provincial government,” Gohar said. “There is no legal basis for this federal committee.”

He added that PTI had not participated in any of the committee’s meetings and the restoration of the tribal jirga system was never formally discussed.

Calling the erstwhile FATA areas extremely sensitive, Gohar demanded that the federal panel be disbanded without delay. He noted PTI’s strong electoral presence in the region, pointing out that five of the seven MNAs and 14 of the 17 MPAs from the erstwhile tribal areas belong to the party.

Party spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram accused the federal government of unnecessary interference and claimed it had withheld over Rs70 billion in funds allocated to the former FATA. He questioned the rationale behind establishing a new jirga mechanism when one already exists.

Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman said the FATA merger in 2018 was carried out to bring development to the region, and legislation was enacted to empower elected representatives from FATA.

He emphasized that funds and administrative responsibilities were to be handled by elected provincial representatives, not the federal government.

He also stated that a review of the now-defunct Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) was under consideration, alongside efforts to align local governance with that of Pakistan’s settled areas.

He added that the merger had been completed through an agreement between the federal and provincial governments.

“The tribal people were, are, and will remain who they are… we cannot change their way of life,” he said. “The privileges granted to FATA were meant to be enhanced, not reduced,” he maintained.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025