Census in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Prevailing Issues

The latest episode of Jarga Maraka (debate and council) discussed the current status of census, its importance for the inhabitants of FATA and the issues faced by public due to the displacement and return process.

The  program discussed topics such as the FATA reforms and the progress made by the reform committees to date, the strengthening of judiciary and the referendum in FATA, displacement due to terrorism, registration hubs in urban areas, the security situation, the infrastructural destruction caused by the war against terror in FATA and problems with which local residents are confronted due to damaged houses, food shortage and unavailability of transport facilities, rehabilitation of IDPs and the importance of census for FATA’s social and economic development. Moreover, the program shed light on the work of census teams and the problems they are facing.

Hajji Iqbal Afridi, Member of Central Executive Committee, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Peshawar, and Mr. Safdar Dawar, senior journalist and analyst, Peshawar, took part as the studio guests in the show.

Mr. Afridi said: “The residents of FATA are faced with severe issues. Government should focus on merging FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to resolve these problems. Only through the availability of law enforcement agencies the census will be effective.”

Mr. Dawar said: “Census is crucial for determining the entitled resources according to the population of a region, which is of utmost importance for the development of FATA. If this whole process is not completed professionally, FATA will face another tragedy after the emergence of Taliban and militants in the region from which they have hardly recovered.”

A radio report, which was made part of the program echoed the progress of the census teams and complains of residents. The report stated a resident’s comment: “There is no specific section for people whose houses have been completely damaged, so they are omitted from the census.”

Three callers participated live in the program. They urged that government should utilize the political administration for undertaking proper census in FATA, which is of great importance for the socio-economic development of the region.

About Sabawoon

Sabawoon airs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). It is designed to highlight the local issues and promote the fundamental governance values, such as democracy, rule of law, women’s rights, and equal citizenry. The show airs Monday through Thursday every week under four themes on FM-101.5 Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan 711 KHZ from 3:20 PM to 4:00 PM. On Monday, Jarga Maraka covers current affairs and important regional issues with an input from government and other senior officials. On Tuesday, Da Simay Jaaj gives an overview of the top stories from KP and FATA regions. Jwandai Jazbey airs on Wednesday and deals with issues of relevance to, and significance for, youth, students and women. Socio-cultural affairs are discussed in Ranra on Thursday.