PESHAWAR
The tribal leaders have demanded postponement of the general elections in erstwhile Fata till the completion of ongoing census exercise, adding that “election prior to news census is a conspiracy against the tribesmen”.
Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club (PPC) here on Friday, Senator Abdul Rasheed, Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI) Ahmad Saeed, North Waziristan Tehsil Mayor Akhtar Gul, and former MPA from South Waziristan Muhammad Shoaib and others rejected polls in Newly Merged Areas (NMAs) with old census, adding that their representation in the senate of Pakistan has been reduced after the merger now without adequate headcount and new constituencies election would slashed their representation in the provincial assembly.
“We consider the upcoming general election in KP as a conspiracy against the seven tribal districts and demanding proper census and then election,” they added.
They appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to ensure justice in the case of former Fata and issue orders for the release of compensation announced by the government for those who have lost their houses in different operations.
Owing to various operations conducted in the erstwhile Fata, half of the population have been forced to migrate to other parts of the country, they added.
In the last census, half of the tribesmen living outside the tribal regions were not counted.
The actual population of the ex-Fata is close to ten million but in the census it was shown around five million which is a brazen injustice to the people of the region, they added.
The federal government had promised Rs100 billion for the development of NMAs but only Rs160 billion were released so far.
After the fresh census new constituencies should be formed and elections should be conducted on the basis of these constituencies, they demanded.
The leaders threatened if their demands were not met properly, they would stage sit-in at Islamabad for their rights.
