FATA legislators stage protest in NA

The MNAs from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on Tuesday staged a protest in National Assembly against the government for excluding FATA reforms item from agenda of the federal cabinet meeting. They also warned the government to implement the FATA reforms by 12th March this year; otherwise, they will be left with no option but to stage a sit-in in front of the Parliament House.
Shah Jee Gul Afridi, a FATA MNA, said that they are also planning to convene an All-Parties Conference to discuss the implementation of the reforms in detail. Speaking on floor of the House, he said that exclusion of the reforms item from the cabinet meeting agenda at the last moment has sent a wrong message to tribal people.
"The cabinet was going to discuss the FATA reforms today but this item was removed from the agenda at the eleventh hour," he said, adding that they would shut down all government offices, including Presidency, if the tribal people are not granted their rights.
PML-N member from FATA Shahab Ud Din Khan also protested against the government's move by fastening a black ribbon around his arm and mouth. Speaking on the issue, Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Khan Sherpao supported the views expressed by the FATA members and said the Prime Minister is shying away from supporting the cause. "Initially, the Prime Minister was supportive of the FATA reforms but now he is shying away from it," he said, adding that this is a ripe time to implement the reforms in the tribal areas.
He said the tribal areas should be merged into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and given a fair share of their financial rights as well for development.
"The government should allocate at least Rs 110 billion for development of tribal areas. Initially all provinces had agreed to allocate at least three percent of their budgets for the FATA development but Sindh has now backed out of it," he said. If the Prime Minister is under any pressure not to implement the reforms, he should get away with it for betterment of the tribal people, Sherpao said. Jamaat-e-Islami MNA Sahibzada Tariqullah also supported the purported reforms, saying if the reforms are not implemented; the situation in the tribal areas may get worse in the time to come.
Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai said the FATA reform is a sensitive issue and the government should handle it carefully.
He also objected to composition of the committee that came up with the proposed reforms, saying neither of its members was from the tribal area, nor did it discuss the issue in detail with tribal people. "The committee completed its whole report just in eight days," he said, adding the people of FATA should be given their due rights.Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar was preparing to respond to all these points when a PTI member Junaid Akbar pointed out the quorum.
The Deputy Speaker prorogued the house following the count as the House was not in order.
Earlier, the National Assembly also passed two bills; 'The Compulsory Blood Test of the Relatives of Thalassemia Patient Bill, 2016,' and 'The National Commission on the Status of Women (amendment) Bill, 2016.' Members of PPP and Jamaat-e-Islami also staged a token walkout against the absence of ministers in the House. Responding to a calling attention notice, Parliamentary Secretary to Water and Power Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal informed the House that electricity consumers of Karachi have been paid back around Rs 12 billion in terms of fuel adjustment.
He said that National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has not approved any increase in the tariff of K-Electric and if the consumers are over-billed then it will be adjusted after the tariff hearing decision.
Replying to a calling attention notice, Parliamentary Secretary for Finance Rana Afzal Khan informed the House that all the provincial governments have agreed on the new forms for population census and the government is going to conduct new population and housing census as decided in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
He said two forms containing comprehensive details are introduced as per international standard for the census.
Regarding the column for disabilities, he said that there are two columns included for disabled persons in the forms. The House also adopted two separate resolutions unanimously to simplify procedure for payment of pensions and to improve performance of Pakistan Television (PTV).