Khattak unveils full sketch of Fata's merger with KP

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak Tuesday unveiled the complete sketch of the FATA merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saying that extending the existing law, constitutional and administrative structure to FATA is the reasonable and realistic solution. The merger should neither be delayed nor be obstructed and any interference in this would be against the will of the tribal. Each agency has its own Rewaj that the people practice. The province should be the center of powers. After the merger, controlling the elected members of FATA will be against the essence of merger.
The Army Chief guaranteed against any excesses and ethnic profiling of Pashtoon in Punjab and IGFC offered trained personnel for induction into Police for policing FATA, he added. These remarks he made while addressing 100 members representative delegation of FATA Political Alliance at Chief Minister House Peshawar.
The Chief Minister assured the Jirga to fight the case of merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in consonance with aspirations of tribal. He said that the British Raj left behind a set of draconian laws to forcibly control the people of FATA. We cannot support such coercive laws for our people, he added. He said such laws breed tyranny and injustices. We have welcomed the merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he added.
The Chief Minister said that when the process of FATA reforms started, the provincial government was never taken on board. Once he talked to Sartaj Aziz against making experimentation in FATA that might create mistrust and would destroy the system. The people of FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had the same traditions and they were comfortable with the existing laws. If the federal government was sincere to the merger, then the existing structure should be extended there. The province had the capacity to stand a complete structure of laws, administrative policing etc. The five year plan would be a failure, he added. He said that after the merger the chosen people would be accountable to the administrative head of the province or the representative of the federation that should be taken care of.
Pervez Khattak said his government had a set of recommendations for the welfare of tribal; any deviation would create differences, objections, obstacles and hurdles. He reminded, he had openly objected to the five year transition for the merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa adding that it was a drama. The absence of power and resources was no solution to the problem. The Army Chief assured him to bring the recommendations of the province to the notice of Prime Minister. We assured the Army Chief for the provision of honest and efficient officers for efficient management and governance there.
The Chief Minister assured the Jirga to meet them again but before that they have to sit together and firm up concrete recommendations. He would take their recommendations to logical conclusion. He said that his leader Imran Khan was firm always suggesting them for taking a strong stand against any wrong and with a strong stand they can win a case of public welfare. He also asked against any meddling going against the interest of tribal. Even the political leadership should avoid hindering the process of merger. He assured to fight out the merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in consonance with the aspirations of tribal.
Pervez Khattak told the Jirga that he had discussed the ethnic profiling of Pashtoon in Punjab and the discriminatory treatment to them by the Punjab Police. Provincial Minister Shah Farman, ex-MNA Akhunzada Chattan, Alam Mehsood and Samina Afridi also spoke in favor of merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Speaker Asad Qaiser, PTI leader Khalid Masood and others attended.