ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday demanded that Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) should immediately be merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Speaking to the media after PTI central executive committee meeting at Bani Gala, Khan said that there is a void in the tribal areas after the old system has been done away with and that if such a void is not filled, it could lead to a reappearance of terrorism in FATA.
The PTI chief said that the people of FATA and Pakistan’s armed forces have made great sacrifices in the country’s war against terrorism and if FATA is not merged with KP, it might hurt the country.
“We are demanding the immediate merger of FATA with KP. There is now a vacuum in the tribal areas as the old system has been done away with. Presence of no structure in the tribal areas is hurting Pakistan,” said Khan.
PTI front man also criticised Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl-ur Rehman for ‘playing a dangerous game’ by opposing FATA-KP merger.
“We feel Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman is playing a very dangerous game. The government and Fazl-ur-Rehman are scared as they think if FATA is merged with KP than it will benefit Tehreek-e-Insaaf,” said Imran.
On heels of Naqeebullah Mehsud’s alleged encounter by former Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Rao Anwar, Imran said that police reforms are needed since the ‘police has been politicised and is corrupt.’
“The way Najeebullah was killed extrajudicially in Karachi, the way Kasur cases have come to the forefront, it is evident that police reforms are sorely needed,” He said.