Tribal Elders from Khatia Khel tribe, Khyber Agency have demanded of the government to play their role for retrieving of their lands from paramilitary force in Shakas, Khyber Agency. Addressing a press conference here at Peshawar Press Club (PPC) on Saturday.
Barkatullah Afridi, an elder of the tribe said that the government had turned to deaf ears over the illegal occupation for their thousands acres agricultural lands in Shaqas, area of Khyber Agency. He maintained that the Frontier Corps had initiated construction of boundary walls at their lands despite carried out protest campaign for the last three months.
The tribal elders had conveyed their reservations about illegal occupation directly and through media to President Asif Ali Zardari, Former Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, IGFC and ACS FATA, but there was no positive response yet, he explained.
He lamented that the government didn't take proactive measures for amicable resolution of the problem. Despite carrying out agitation and staged a hunger strikes camps, he said the government had remained step-motherly to resolving the issue. Barkatullh Afridi said that the judiciary was remained out of affairs of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) under the constitution of the state. He asked the government to where they plea for justice. The government should analyses the gravity of the situation, and play its due role for prompt resolution of the issue, he demanded. "We don't want to use irrational steps, but there was needed to resolve the issues through peaceful means, he added.
Afridi called for proactive measures for immediate retrieving of around 4,000 acre agricultural lands in Shakas, Khyber Agency to end growing unrest among tribesman. We are not ready to sale our lands, which were sources of income and use for residential purpose. He said there was needed to resolve the issue through peaceful way, and warned they would compel to take any ridiculous step to fulfil their genuine demands.