PESHAWAR: The Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions told Arab News on Friday that he did not want to pursue the Tribal Areas Riwaj Act 2017 that was rejected by a National Assembly Standing Committee on Thursday.
SAFRON’s Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch tabled the bill in the Lower House of Parliament in May 2017.
The bill aimed to provide a system of administration of justice, maintenance of peace and good governance in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Protected or Administered Areas.
Speaking to Arab News, Baloch said that the government would only pursue the bill at the request of tribal elders or parliamentarians.
Asked if FATA Reforms had been put on hold, he said work was under way and that the bill extending the courts’ jurisdiction to tribal areas was likely to be approved during the next Senate session.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on State and Frontier Regions, Muhammad Jamal ud Din, told Arab News that the committee had rejected the bill because it did not even define the term “Riwaj,” a word signifying customs or traditions in Pashto language.
“All tribal agencies don’t have the same Riwaj,” he added. “How can we enforce a law in the name of custom or tradition across the tribal belt?”
Naeema Kishwar Khan, another National Assembly member, said that even the tribal people objected to the Riwaj Act.
“The Bill called for both jirga (the traditional assembly of leaders) and court to resolve issues,” she explained. “But what if the court decided one thing and tribal elders decided something else?”
A Peshawar-based analyst, Shamim Shahid, told Arab News that the Tribal Areas Riwaj Bill 2017 was to support the political administration and military and to strengthen the Frontier Crimes Regulations — the laws under which FATA is directly governed by Pakistan’s federal government.
He added that the Bill called for resolution of issues through the same jirga system that had long been criticized due to its partial decisions in the tribal territories.
“Most of the time, a party is deprived of its rights when influential people pressure jirgas,” he added.
FATA minister has no plans to retable Riwaj Act
FATA minister has no plans to retable Riwaj Act
China’s mediation eases fighting between Pakistan, Afghanistan — sources
- China’s envoy shuttles between Pakistan and Afghanistan to mediate in conflict
- Gulf countries that mediated in the past embroiled in Middle East conflict
ISLAMABAD/BEIJING: Chinese mediation efforts, including a message from President Xi Jinping, have helped ease the worst fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, three Pakistani government officials said.
The officials said a meeting between the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif late last month included a message from Xi to cease hostilities.
Neither side has reported any Pakistani air strikes on Afghanistan in recent days and ground fighting along the 2,600-km (1,600-mile) border has tapered off, although daily clashes continue to be reported.
China has said it is in contact with both countries about ending hostilities but Mosharraf Zaidi, a spokesman for Sharif who has previously said there would not be any talks with the Taliban, did not respond to questions about Beijing’s efforts.
Pakistani security officials have said the military campaign will continue until desired goals were achieved, which was to prevent militant attacks in Pakistan launched from Afghan soil.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry and military did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Islamabad launched air strikes on Afghanistan on February 26, saying the Taliban were providing a safe haven to militants carrying out attacks in Pakistan. Kabul denies the charge and says militancy in Pakistan is an internal problem.
The Chinese efforts came as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, who hosted talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan during previous clashes in October, have been embroiled in the war in the Middle East following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
“China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Affairs is currently shuttling between the two countries to mediate, while Chinese embassies in both nations maintain close communication with the respective parties,” the Chinese foreign ministry told Reuters in an email.
“The most urgent task is to prevent the fighting from expanding and for the two countries to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible.”
The foreign ministry added that Foreign Minister Wang Yi held telephone talks with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday to discuss the conflict.
China’s ambassador to Kabul, Zhao Xing, and the special envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi this week, the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have said they inflicted heavy damage on the other in the conflict and killed hundreds of opposition troops, without providing evidence. Reuters has not been able to verify the reports.
Beijing, a longtime Pakistani ally, has invested heavily in mines and minerals in both nations.
The investments include over $65 billion in road, rail and other development projects in Pakistan, part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative to expand land and sea trade routes to Europe and Africa.
