PESHAWAR, March 31: Criticising the government for using delaying tactics to amend the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), Fata Democratic Movement's representatives said on Thursday that justice and development in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas was impossible unless the draconian FCR laws were changed.

Speaking at a press conference here, the FDM representatives, including Abdur Rahim Afridi, Ijaz Ahmed Afridi and Zar Ali Afridi, said that the tribesmen had intentionally been kept backward since the inception of Pakistan and the existing infrastructure in tribal areas was also destroyed in bomb blasts.

They praised the initiative of political parties for the formation of a 'Fata Reforms Committee' and assured it their full support.

The FDM organiser, Abdur Rahim, said that the FCR had paralysed the tribesmen, who could not raise their voice against injustices, as the government had given unlimited powers to the political administration to send people behind the bars for years.

“Unless political activities are allowed in the Fata the tribal people cannot make progress,” he said and added that the one-man political agent rule should not remain any longer.

The Fata had been ignored in all the country's constitutions, Mr Rahim said and added that the restrictions on political activities in tribal areas was a violation of the international law. He said that people had the rights to carry out political activities, but they were not allowed to do so in the Fata.

He said that President Asif Ali Zardari had announced on Aug 14, 2009 that the FCR would be amended, but his commitment was yet to be realised. He said that the 10 million tribesmen were not ready to accept the FCR any longer and demanded its replacement.

Mr Rahim said that some forces were against any change in the black laws and the civil society and political workers were forced to raise voice for the purpose.

He said that the existing problems in Fata could be resolved politically if the amendments were made by implementing the reforms package. Mr Zar Ali expressed concern over the destruction of schools, hospitals, bridges and rest of the infrastructure in the tribal region and said that this situation was pushing people of the already backward region towards darkness.