IMRAN AFRIDI
JAMRUD On May 31, 2018, the federal government merged the tribal areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without a referendum, depriving 2.5 crore tribal people of their identity. The FATA Grand Jirga has announced to observe “Youm-e-Siyah” (Black Day) across all districts of FATA to mark this day.
The Jirga leaders included Malak Bismillah , Malak Israr Afridi , Malak ziarat Gul ,Malak Azam, Malak jandoul ,Malak younas , Malak mir Afzal, Dr Turat, Malak Tariq and Malak Yar Muhammad , held a press conference at Jamrud Press Club, stating that the tribal people would gather at Jamrud’s Bab-e-Khyber to protest against the forced merger. They demanded the restoration of FATA’s previous status and an end to the forced integration.
The leaders expressed concern over the increasing militancy and lawlessness in FATA and the silence of authorities. They also demanded implementation of the promised 10-year tax exemption and Supreme Court to nullify any tax collection decision.
The FATA Grand Jirga vowed to continue its struggle until the unconstitutional merger is reversed, saying that the federal government should refrain from introducing new laws until the FATA merger case is resolved and provide relief to the people instead of adding to their difficulties.
The Jirga leaders emphasized that the merger was done without a referendum, and the tribal people were not consulted. They demanded that the government should take steps to address the concerns of the tribal people and work towards their welfare.
