ISLAMABAD:
The leaders of the six-party alliance of opposition parties—Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain-e-Pakistan—and elected members from erstwhile FATA accused the government of breaking promises to the people.
In a joint press conference, the opposition leaders including Asad Qaiser, Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Nasir Abbas outlined that the situation in erstwhile FATA continues to deteriorate with each passing day.
Former Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser lashed at the federal government for not fulfilling its promises to the people of the merged areas.
He added that it was promised to include them under the NFC Award and that a significant amount would be allocated for the accelerated development of merged districts.
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Qaiser said that the federal government is bent on taking revenge on the people. “Instead of fulfilling its promises, the federal government is breaking the economy of the merged districts by closing borders with Afghanistan and halting their trade,” he added.
He lamented that no one was talking about sit-ins in Chaman and Ghulam Khan and their demands were not being taken seriously.
Putting forward demands before the Centre, he outlined that the trade closure with Afghanistan should be reopened at the earliest. “The demands of our people who are protesting should be met and a parliamentary committee should be formed to address these issues.”
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He urged the government to negotiate with all those who are leading the sit-ins.
“We want the supremacy of the Constitution in Pakistan. The Parliament of Pakistan should be sovereign,” Achakzai remarked.
Commenting on the denial of due rights to the erstwhile tribal areas, he stated that merged districts should be given their due and promised rights, urging the federal government to allocate a portion of the budget to the merged districts so they can defend themselves and Pakistan.
Echoing the sentiments of Achakzai and Qaiser, Allama Nasir Abbas stated that the social fabric of the tribal areas was destroyed and handed over to terrorists.
“Promises were made to the people of FATA before the merger, but they were not fulfilled. We are being deliberately divided into pieces. We are being divided in the name of regionalism and ethnicity,” he added.
He remarked that the rulers should make sincere efforts to win the trust of the people rather than abandoning them to the caprice of their own conditions.
“The conditions in the country are being created in such a way that people are losing trust,” he concluded.
