Wadood Jan
Peshawar: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Shaukat Yousafzai said on Tuesday that the provision of 100 billion rupees package for erstwhile Fata would ensured by all means and land for the university in Waziristan, announced by the Prime Minister Imran Khan, would soon be purchased.
Answering a question, raised by the Opposition Leader Akram Khan Durrani on the future of erstwhile Fata during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Session, Shaukat Yousafzai said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had kept his promises and he would come up with the commitment of development package he had announced for previously Fata.
The KP Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ghani chaired the session and allowed Akram Khan Durrani to speak on the steps taken for the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure of the tribal districts.
Speaking on the floor of the House, Akran Khan Durrani said that the current status of erstwhile Fata was a big confusion and its future was a mystery.
“Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) had a clear stance on the merger of Fata with KP,” he said and added that government rushed in deciding its fate.
Opposition Leader lamented that the properties of the tribal people and infrastructure in region had been devastated in the region and the inhabitants were forced to quit their homes and areas.
“Those who have returned to their homes are deprived of the fundamental rights. They have no access to health and education,” he remarked.
Durrani said that the government merged Fata into KP in haste but could not keep the speed to bring change in the region.
“How erstwhile Fata would be changed into settled region,” he questioned and said that no province was willing to give three per cent to previously Fata under NFC award.
“Khasadar and Levies forces were a total chaos as their status was obscure and yet police to be deployed in the region,” Akram Durrani said.
He told the House that people in region were living under open sky and without security.
“Weapons were taken from them during war against terrorism but they now need weapons to protect their families,” he said and asked the government to allow the tribal people to keep licensed weapons and should introduce a system for licensing their legal arms.
Durrani also asked the government to locate and make offices for the officials to run the system with ease in erstwhile Fata.
Sardar Hussain Babak of Awami National Party (ANP) told the House that the residents of formerly Fata were happy with the merger but their rehabilitation was going on at a slow pace.
“19000 shops and business centres were destroyed during war and operations in Mir Ali and Miranshah which had caused financial loss to around 35000 people,” he remarked.
Babak maintained that hundreds of thousands of tribesmen were not registered in the recent consensus.
“Thousands of schools had been destroyed during war and operations against terrorism, hundreds of schools are inactive and also a number of schools have been occupied by the security forces in the formerly Fata,” he mentioned and said that if those who fight against India and other enemy countries were praised why not the tribesmen being praised and rehabilitated.
Speaking at the session he demanded the government to resume the suspended cell phone services immediately and 3G and 4G services should be provided to the areas.
Babak demanded that a unanimous resolution should be brought forth on the constituencies formation of erstwhile Fata to create 23 to 24 constituencies in the region.
Inyatullah Khan of Jamat-e-Islami also raised the same questions on the rehabilitation of formerly Fata.
He said rehabilitation should be accelerated to build the confidence of tribal people and to give them opportunity to relish life-like settled areas.
Sherazam Wazir , in his lofty style, told the members of assembly that previously Fata should have been given a status of separate province.
“They may anytime ask for a separate and independent province and they will demand in future,” he remarked.
Sherazam was sarcastic while saying “U-turn may happen in the case of package announced by the premier for erstwhile Fata”.
Answering the questions of the Opposition Leader and members, the KP Minister for Information Shaukat Yousafzai said that soon land would be acquired for the university in Waziristan as announced by the Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“Youth Employment Project has been approved by the KP Cabinet through which loans would be given to doctors, engineers, women and skilled persons,” he asserted and said that life saving drugs and other essentials services would be provided in the hospitals and free medicines would be given to patients in emergencies of the hospitals of tribal districts.
Later, the speaker adjourned the session till Wednesday (today).
