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ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari signed the extension of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Political Parties Order 2002 in Islamabad on Friday.
The extension, which was signed at the President House, allows political parties to operate in the tribal regions.
The President also signed the Frontier Crime Regulations (FCR) Amendment Order during the ceremony just an hour after the summary to this effect was received from the Prime Minister.
“Henceforth the political parties, subject to appropriate regulations to be framed, will be freely allowed to operate in the tribal areas and present their socio-economic programmes,” spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.
Under the reforms, an accused has to be produced before an authority within 24 hours of his arrest and has the right to bail. The practice of arresting tribesmen for collective responsibility will also be softened, said Babar. Women, children below 16 and aged above 65 shall not be arrested or detained under Collective Responsibility.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, federal ministers, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Barrister Masood Kausar, FATA members of the parliament were present on the occasion.
The extension of the act binds all political parties in the tribal agencies to inform political agents at least seven days in advance before organising any meeting or inviting their central or provincial leaders to the areas.
The government has taken all major political parties into confidence over the extension of the order.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the legal and political reforms would rid the tribal people from a century of bondage and usher them into ‘mainstream national life’ while respecting local customs and traditions.
He added that the door had been unlocked and it is for the people of tribal areas to decide how many more reforms they want in their system of governance. Any system imposed on them from outside will be counterproductive, the President cautioned.
Speaking on the order, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar highlighted salient features of it. He said that the amendments have changed the most obnoxious provisions of FCR, Farhatullah Babar said.
Babar said that a major initiative was in the field of judicial reform. The changes made envisage setting of a FATA Tribunal which shall have powers similar to that of the high courts. The FATA Tribunal shall have powers of revision against orders and judgments of Appellate Authority. Previously there was no such provision of appeal to a judicial authority.