KHYBER AGENCY: Jamiat Ullema-e-Islam,Fazal Rehman (JUI-F) Landi Kotal chapter staged a protest rally on Thursday at Bahca Square,Landi Kotal bazaar against merging of Federally Administer Tribal Area(FATA) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the American decision of the recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.

Led by its leader naib ameer JUI-F, FATA Mufti Muhammad Ijaz and the patron Sahibzada Muhammad Umar Banuri dozens of JUI-F volunteers while holding banners and placards inscribed with sayings in their favor and were chanted ull-throat slogans for their demands.

Number of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) local workers also joined the JUI-F agitation and supported their stance against the merging.

Speaking on the occasion Mufti Muhammad Ijaz said that the last decade had proved a destructive period for the tribals and instead of provision of ease to the tribesmen, strivings were made to merge FATA in KP which was equal to give a crying child a lollipop to comfort the baby.

“Except three or four districts, residents of rest of the areas of KP are in a worse condition than the tribal and are deprived of all basic necessities of life”, he argued and maintained that the tribals would resent and react any decision forcibly imposed on them against their will at propaganda of Deewa Radio or other foreign media.

Mufti Ijaz added that they, instead of merging, a separate province of the tribal belt would be more useful and beneficiary for the tribesmen.

He criticized the US for its decision of shifting of its embassy to Jerusalem and urged the Muslim Ummah to be united to disapprove anti-Muslims activities of America.

Sahibzada Muhammad Umar in his speech warned that the tribesmen were unwilling to change their identity and asked the tribal to join in a set-in of JUI-F, scheduled to be held at 30 December at Faizabad, Islamabad to convey their grievance to the rulers.

Naib ameer JUI-F, Landi Kotal, Maulana Yousaf Shah, Maulana Rehmatullah, PTI workers, Lutfullah and Zakria Shinwari also spoke on the occasion.

The protesters marched in front of Landi Kotal press club where they dispersed peacefully.

Published in Daily Times, December 29th 2017.