A series of ten landmark TV shows “Hum Bhi Pakistan” on the status of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) – Past, Present, and Future – produced by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) goes on air from Friday.
The national EXPRESS TV will air the shows every Friday and Saturday at 7.p.m every week.
These shows mark a big step forward in the Center’s drive for inclusive democracy and fundamental rights as enshrined in the federal Constitution. As many as 40 parliamentarians, rights’ activists, analysts and academia participated in the shows with some 60 male and female students from different regions in the audience. They had specially traveled to Islamabad for participating in the shows and each of them had a chance to put at least one question to the panelists.
Never before did FATA come under such focused and s structured debate involving leading stakeholders from within FATA as well as those representing Pakistan’s mainstream political parties – a first in FATA’s political rights’ advocacy in history to debate FATA problems, concerns and future prospects.
The TV shows supplement CRSS’s radio advocacy for FATA which has been airing from Peshawar and several other stations in a syndicated show that reaches all nook and corners of KP province and FATA.
The TV shows gave an opportunity to the people from FATA to share their problems and seek solutions that can best help mainstream FATA with Pakistan. At the same time it provided the panelists a chance to speak in a focused way on the way the draconian Frontier Crimes Regulations –FCR-impacts their lives.
During the discussions, almost all guests and audience demanded repeal of or drastic amendments to the Article 247 of the constitution, which empowers the President to rule these areas through political agents. Most participants demanded to be mainstreamed and treated as equal citizens ( as promised under the Article 25 of the constitution) and asked the president as well as mainstream political parties to help them get rid of the FCR.
Please watch the program Hum Bhi Pakistan on EXPRESS TV on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m.
The first program of the series will go on air on
Friday June 6, 2014 on Express News TV Channel at 7:05 PM
TOPIC:
“FATA Reforms: Implementation of 2011 reforms – Political Parties Order and Amendments to the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), and Potential Future amendments and other reforms for FATA”
Hosts:
Mr Imitiaz Gul and Ms Feryal Ali Gauhar
Guests:
- Mr. Gul Karim Khan, Gen. Secretary PML –N Bajaur Agency
- Justice Muhammad Ajmal Mian, Chairman 2011 FATA Reforms Committee
- Ms. Shagufta Malik
- Mr. Shams Mohmand
Theme:
The theme of the first show is “FATA Reforms: the implementation of 2011 reforms – Political Parties Order and Amendments to the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR). Why did the FCR fail in combating crime and militancy?”
The show aims to review the FATA reforms introduced in 2011 and the extent to which these reforms have been implemented, practically. The State’s failure to implement these reforms has resulted in an increased level of crime and militancy in FATA. It has made it easy for criminals and militants to take refuge here and later use the area to further their agenda of Islamization in the rest of the country. The laxity of the State to take action against these religious militants both homegrown and foreigners who moved here after the end of Soviet invasion and post 9/11 has rendered some parts of FATA dysfunctional and under the de facto rule of the militants. At the same time the FCR has failed to stop these militants from entrenching themselves in FATA.