"Once this stranglehold was broken all other facets of the reforms package whether merger in KPK, local governments and extending jurisdiction of superior courts will automatically fall in place," stated PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar during an all-parties conference on Fata reforms package held at a local hotel in Islamabad on Saturday.
The multi Party conference organised by Fata Parliamentarians was attended by representatives of secular, religious and nationalist political parties including Shahjee Gul Afridi MNA, Barrister Zafarullah Khan Advisor to PM, Speaker KPK Asad Qaiser, MNAs Ghulam Ahmad Bilour ANP, Tariqullah JI, Ajmal PML-Q, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Zahid Khan, Hashim Babar QWP, Javed Afridi of Peshawar Zalme, Senators Sajjad Turi and Mir Kabir Shahi, SC advocate Latif Afridi among others.
The reforms package announced in August last year appeared more of a political stunt than a real effort at mainstreaming tribal areas, he said. It took nine months for the cabinet to approve the package on March 2 this year but the summary to seek the approval of President was lying in the PM House even today gathering dust, he said. The thrust of the Fata reforms package was towards further militarization of the area instead of de-militarization, he said and proposed a 6-point formula to loosen the grip of civil-military bureaucratic complex on Fata.
First, the Auditor General of Pakistan must be immediately authorised to carry out audit of the foreign aid received for tribal areas and the funds spent by the civil-military bureaucracy during the past ten years. The civil-military bureaucracy might loath civilian oversight but it must not be allowed to solely spend almost 80 billion rupees of development annually without audit and without oversight. At present committees of parliament, media and NGOs were not allowed to visit tribal areas on the pretext of fragile security situation and development funds appeared to go down the drain.
Second, the elected representatives should be involved ensuring accountability, transparency and oversight, he said. The 10-year developmental package of 800 billion rupees must not be left entirely in the hands of civil-military bureaucracy. Third, the Policy Committee and Implementation Committee should include elected representatives to loosen the suffocating grip of civil military bureaucratic complex.
If the chief secretary and corps commander can be members of these committees why not elected representatives, he asked? Fourth, the levies force in tribal areas should be brought at par with the police and placed under the command of senior police officers instead of the political agent and military commander as at present. According to the reforms package, the levies strength will be increased to nearly 35 thousands from 12 thousands which is almost half of the KP police strength. If tribal areas are to be merged in KP in five years it is necessary to merge Levies in the police, he said.
Fifth, he said that the civil military bureaucracy usurp the office of the President to impose regulations that suited their interests and not the interest of the people.
This can be check-mated by bringing into the Parliament the laws pertaining to local governments and Riwaj Act, replacing FCR, into the Parliament instead of enforcing them through a presidential decree without debate and scrutiny. Sixth, he said Pakistan must revisit its Afghan policy for carrying out reforms in tribal areas adding "there were several unanswered questions with regard to our Afghan policy dictated by the security establishment that needed to be answered."-PR
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017