KALAYA: Leaders of the Fata Loya Jirga on Friday demanded the abolition of the 25th Constitutional Amendment and restoration of the former constitutional status of the tribal areas.
Addressing a press conference in Kalaya, the headquarters of Orakzai district, Fata Loya Jirga president Bismillah Khan, general secretary Malik Moazzam Mehsud, Nawabzada Fazal Karim, Malik Naib Khan, Malik Haji Shakeel, and other tribal elders said the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was imposed on tribal people without their consent.
The speakers claimed that the merger had weakened traditional tribal institutions, including the jirga and hujra systems, while people were now facing difficulties under the police and court system.
Bismillah Khan said tribal people were currently facing issues such as drone strikes, demolition of houses, and enforced disappearances. He added that awareness campaigns against the merger were underway in all tribal districts, while a writ petition had already been filed in court.
Nawabzada Fazal Karim said that the tribal people had lived independently for centuries and disputes were resolved quickly through the jirga system, but they were now facing hardships under the existing administrative setup.
