Islamabad: Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sajid Hussain Turi has said it is the need of the hour to end the deprivations of tribal districts. He said tribal people have suffered the most against terrorism and the promises made to them at the time of merger have not been fulfilled.

Tribal elders under the leadership of Federal Minister Sajid Hussain Turi met with Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf, says a statement issued by the Press Information Department here on Thursday. In the meeting problems faced by the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the promises made at the time of merger were discussed. The tribal delegation consisted of more than 150 elders from all the newly merged districts. The tribal elders said the tribal people are losing rather than benefiting from the merger of FATA. The aim of FATA integration should have been reform, reconstruction and development in war-torn areas, they added.

After the merger of FATA, funds from tribal areas were used in other districts of the province”, tribal elders said. They said census was conducted when tribal people were displaced from their areas due to terrorism. They said National Assembly seats in tribal areas have decreased due to wrong census, adding that census should be conducted again in the tribal areas. They said at the time of merger, the opinion of the tribal people was not taken under consideration, adding that funds earmarked for FATA and quotas in colleges and universities should be restored for ten years.

Raja Pervez Ashraf said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is aware of the unprecedented sacrifices and problems of the tribal people. He said PPP has always solved the problems of its tribal brothers and sisters. Sajid Hussain Turi said that construction and development works should be done rapidly in the tribal areas so that they can be included in the national agenda. He said PPP will always play its constitutional role for welfare of the people of tribal areas.