ISLAMABAD: Upon being told that the Rawaj Act, recently approved by the cabinet and laid before the National Assembly, would be withdrawn, lawmakers from the upper house expressed concerns that the development package meant for the tribal areas would be handed over to the military.

“We are withdrawing the Rewaj Act due to opposition from lawmakers, yet I am hopeful that Fata will be merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) before five years,” Minister for States and Frontier Regions retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch told the Senate’s Committee of the Whole on Tuesday.

Chaired by Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, the body was also informed that the immediate merger of Fata with KP would have serious consequences for the people of the tribal areas, due to the bad law and order situation in some areas. The minister also admitted that transitory permits and levying of tax by the political agent were illegal activities.

Senators from various parties expressed concerns over the appointment of a military officer as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) to look after Fata reforms, as well as the decision to extend the jurisdiction of the Islamabad High Court to Fata instead of the Peshawar High Court.

For Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Ilyas Bilour, the move displayed the government’s ill-intent, saying that it seemed there would be no merger or mainstreaming of Fata in future.

Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Farhatullah Babar also opposed the creation of the COO position.

“It is a ploy to appoint a serving general at a later stage. Contracts worth billions will then go to Frontier Works Organisation and National Logistics Cell without bids, as the locus of power shifts from Islamabad to Rawalpindi and the area is further militarised,” he said, warning that the black hole of Fata would only deepen.

On March 2, 2017, the cabinet had decided to extend the jurisdiction of the Peshawar High Court to the tribal areas. “But in an unexplained somersault, the government has now decided to extend the jurisdiction of IHC to tribal areas without taking into account the problems it will cause to litigants from far-off areas such as Bajaur and Waziristan,” he said.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman criticised the rampant corruption and injustice that had become prevalent in the tribal areas.

The chairman, while recognising the sacrifices of the armed forces in the war against terrorism, said that their role was to defend the country, while governance in the tribal areas was the prerogative of the Fata Secretariat.

However, Mr Baloch said that the Senate might compile its recommendations, which would be placed before the National Committee on Implementation of Fata Reforms, headed by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

The minister also claimed that there was no proposal to appoint a serving military officer as COO in Fata. However, he said, it would be unfair to exclude the armed forces from the rebuilding phase.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2017