Government Committee
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has categorically rejected the federal government’s recently formed committee on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s merged tribal districts, declaring it unconstitutional and an unwarranted interference in the province’s administrative affairs. PTI leaders have announced a complete boycott of all meetings convened by the committee and demanded its immediate dissolution.
At a joint press conference held in Islamabad, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan criticized the committee, which is headed by Federal Minister Engineer Amir Muqam, for violating the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
This amendment grants provincial governments exclusive authority over administrative matters, including the traditional tribal jirga system. Gohar Ali emphasized that the committee undermines the constitutional rights of the province and dismissed the federal government’s attempt to form a parallel jirga as illegitimate.
“The jirga system has already been established within the province. What new jirga is the federal government trying to impose on us?” Gohar questioned, underlining the committee’s redundant and intrusive nature.
In line with this stance, PTI lawmakers from the merged districts, including two MNAs and fourteen MPAs who represent these areas, have boycotted the committee’s meetings and pledged not to attend any future sessions. Gohar added that the tribal jirga issue has not been discussed in any meaningful manner in the committee meetings so far.
PTI leader Sheikh Waqas Akram accused the federal government of ulterior motives behind creating the committee, suggesting that the real intention is to gain control over the mineral-rich resources of the tribal regions under the pretext of administrative restructuring. “This is not about the merger or governance; it’s about minerals. FATA is being targeted for its resources,” he stated.
Financial grievances were also raised, with PTI’s information secretary pointing out that the federal government owes more than Rs700 billion to the tribal areas as part of the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. Sheikh Waqas Akram stressed that genuine financial justice should precede any administrative measures, otherwise such committees are meaningless.
Echoing these concerns, KP Law Minister Aftab Alam revealed that since the 2018 merger, only Rs132 billion out of the promised Rs1,000 billion has been released to the province. He accused the federal government of deliberately withholding funds, causing injustice to the people of the tribal areas.
Former KP Governor Shah Farman asserted that the responsibility for the merger’s administration lies with the PTI government and reminded that the agreement at the time of the merger gave elected parliamentarians control over development funds. He firmly rejected the need for duplicate jirgas or federal intervention, calling instead for provincial autonomy to continue.
Iqbal Afridi, a member of the Saffron Committee, condemned the federal committee as a political stunt and reiterated PTI’s full boycott, noting that key issues relating to the merged districts were never discussed in appropriate parliamentary forums.
Barrister Gohar concluded by reaffirming PTI’s commitment to managing the affairs of the merged districts independently, in accordance with constitutional provisions. He underscored that the committee lacks legitimacy and insisted that the people of FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are capable of making their own decisions regarding their rights and resources.
