News Coverage of FATA Committee Election Recommendations 2013 January

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POLITICAL PARTIES UNITED IN PUSH FOR FAIR ELECTIONS IN FATA

News Coverage of FATA Committee Recommendations on General Elections

فاٹا: انتخابات اور سیاسی جماعتوں کے مطالبات

BBC Urdu, 8 January 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2013/01/130108_fata_elections_tim.shtml

تجاویز دے دیںسیاسی جماعتوں کی کمیٹی برائے فاٹا اصالحات نے الیکشن کمیشن کو Nawa-e-Waqt , 10 January 2013

*Print edition only

Political parties united on FATA electoral reforms Dawn, 8 January 2013

http://dawn.com/2013/01/09/political-parties-united-on-fata-electoral-reforms/

Security Nightmare (Dawn editorial) Dawn, 10 January 2013

http://dawn.com/2013/01/10/security-nightmare/

Elections in FATA (Dawn opinion page) The Nation, 11 February 2013

http://dawn.com/2013/02/11/elections-in-fata/

Govt going to hold first-ever polls in FATA The Nation, 10 January 2013

http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/10-Jan-2013/govt-going-to-hold-first-ever-polls-in-fata

2013 elections: FATA Committee set to reach consensus on demands Express Tribune, 9 January 2013

http://tribune.com.pk/story/491291/2013-elections-fata-committee-set-to-reach-consensus-on-demands/

Free, fair elections in FATA: Political parties make recommendations to ECP, NADRA Frontier Post, 9 January 2013

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/201565/








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Political parties make recommendations to ECP, NADRA for free, fair elections in FATA Business Recorder, 8 January 2013

http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/general-news/99861.html

FATA committee explains five key concerns over elections Business Recorder, 9 January 2013

http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/172/1141211/

Politics on the frontline in FATA By Zia Ur Rehman, The Friday Times, 8 February 2013

http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta3/tft/article.php?issue=20130208&page=3

Politicians make recommendations to ECP, NADRA for free, fair FATA elections Pakistan Observer, 9 January 2013

http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=190719

ECP, NADRA Urged to Take Steps for Fair Elections in FATA FATA Research Centre (FRC), 8 January 2013

http://frc.com.pk/news/ecp-nadra-urged-to-take-steps-for-fair-elections-in-

fata/?utm_source=Pakistan+News+Weekly&utm_medium=FATANews

*Also covered in the 9 January 2013 FRC Daily Brief

ECP Role in IDPs’ Right to Vote By Khan Zeb Burki, The Lahore Times, 21 January 2013

http://www.lhrtimes.com/2013/01/21/ec-role-in-idps-right-to-vote/#ixzz2Kw7Ilu7n

Political parties show rare unity in push for fair elections in tribal areas News Pakistan, 8 January 2013

http://www.newspakistan.pk/2013/01/08/political-parties-show-rare-unity-push-fair-elections-tribal-areas/

Pakistan political parties united in push for fair elections in tribal region The Kooza, 8 January 2013

http://www.thekooza.com/pakistan-political-parties-united-in-push-for-fair-elections-in-tribal-region/

PDF and Word versions of the accompanying news release: http://goo.gl/LZF6n

High resolution photographs of FATA Committee members and events: http://goo.gl/LZF6n

Political Parties Joint Committee on FATA Reforms

Member and Contact Information:

Awami National Party (ANP)

Latif Afridi, Vice President KP

Bushra Gohar, MNA, Central Vice President

Arbab Tahir, General Secretary, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Nawabzada Mohsin Ali Khan, Deputy Secretary General Central

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)

Mohammad Ibrahim, Professor and Provincial Ameer

Sahibzada Haroon Rashid, Ameer FATA

Zarnoor Afridi, Naib Ameer FATA





http://frc.com.pk/news/ecp-nadra-urged-to-take-steps-for-fair-elections-in-fata/?utm_source=Pakistan+News+Weekly&utm_medium=FATANews





http://goo.gl/LZF6n

http://goo.gl/LZF6n

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Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F)

Mohammad Jalal ud din, Advocate, Former Ambassador

Abdul Jalil Jan, Information Secretary, KP

Mufti Abdul Shakoor, Deputy General Secretary KP

Abdur-Rashid, General Secretary Bajaur

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)

Syed Asif Hasnain, MNA

Mohammad Rehan Hashmi, MNA

National Party (NP)

Dr. Malik Baloch, President

Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenju, Vice President

Mukhtar Bacha, Provincial President, KP

Idrees Kamal, Provincial General Secretary, KP

Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP)

Akram Shah Khan, Central Secretary General

Mukhtar Khan Yousafzai, Provincial President, KP

Raza Mohammad Raza, Information Secretary

Pakistan Muslim League (PML)

Ajmal Khan Wazir, Central Senior Vice President

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)

Rehmat Salam Khattak, General Secretary, KP

Arsallah Khan Hoti, Spokesperson, KP

Nasir Kamal Marwat, Vice President

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)

Senator Farhatullah Babar, Spokeperson, President of Pakistan

Kiramat Ullah Chagharmati, Speaker, KP Assembly

Rahim Dad Khan, Senior Minister, KP

Senator Sardar Ali

Mirza M. Jihadi, Advisor SAFRON

Qaumi Watan Party (QWP)

Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, General Secretary

Sikandar Hayat Sherpao, MPA, President, KP

Asad Afridi, President, FATA

Usman Ali Khalil, Provincial Vice President



[email protected] | @FATAparties | http://facebook.com/FATAparties

http://goo.gl/LZF6n

http://goo.gl/LZF6n

mailto:[email protected]

http://twitter.com/FATAparties

http://facebook.com/FATAparties

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فاٹا: انتخابات اور سیاسی جماعتوں کے مطالباتBBC Urdu, 8 January 2013


پاکستان کے صدر آصف علی زرداری نے سنہ دو ہزار گیارہ میں تمام سیاسی جماعتوں کو قبائلی عالقوں میں

اعظم سے لے کر سرگرمیاں شروع کرنے کی اجازت دے تو دی لیکن ڈیڑھ سال گزر جانے کے بعد بھی صدر اور وزیر

اکثر بڑی سیاسی جماعتوں کے رہنماؤں نے اس عالقے کا دورہ نہیں کیا ہے۔

ادھر پاکستان کی دس سیاسی جماعتوں نے قبائلی عالقوں میں انتخابات سے قبل پانچ اہم اصالحات کا مطالبہ کیا ہے۔

عروج پر ہیں لیکن بظاہر قبائلی عالقوں پاکستان میں عام انتخابات کی آمد آمد ہے اور اس سے ُجڑی انتخابی سرگرمیاں

میں ایسا کچھ نہیں ہو رہا ہے۔

یہ پہلی مرتبہ ہوگا کہ تمام سیاسی جماعتیں کھل کر قبائلی عالقوں میں انتخابات میں حصہ لے سکیں گیں۔ یہ علیحدہ بات

ئلی عالقے جاسکا ہے ہے کہ موجودہ حکومت کے ساڑھے چار سالوں کے دوران نہ تو صدر، نہ کوئی وزیر اعظم قبا

اور نہ ہی سیاسی جماعتوں کی سرگرمیوں پر سے پابندی اٹھنے کے باوجود کسی بڑی سیاسی جماعت کا رہنما وہاں گیا

ہے۔

پاکستان کی مذہبی جماعتیں جعمیت علمائے اسالم اور جماعت اسالمی پابندی کے دوران بھی اور اب بھی وہاں کافی

سرگرم ہیں۔

وں پر مشتمل ایک کمیٹی نے حکومت سے قبائلی عالقوں میں ووٹروں کے کمپوٹرائزڈ اندراج، نقل اب دس سیاسی جماعت

مکانی پر مجبور ڈیڑھ الکھ قبائلیوں کے ووٹ کو یقینی بنانے، ملک کے دیگر حصوں کے طرح قبائلی عالقوں میں بھی

سٹیشن فراہم کرنے اور انتخابی کمیشن عدلیہ کے اہلکاروں کو تعینات کرنے، قبائلی ووٹروں کو گھر کے قریب پولنگ

سے براہ راست سیاسی جماعتوں سے رابطے کرنے کا مطالبات کیے ہیں۔

مسلم لیگ ق کے سینیئر نائب صدر اجمل خان وزیر جن کا تعلق قبائلی عالقوں سے ہے اس کمیٹی کے رکن تھے۔

میں جاننے کی ین نے ابھی تک قبائلی عالقوںبی بی سی اردو سے بات کرتے ہوئے انہوں نے تسلیم کیا کہ سیاسی قائد

۔‘یہ دورے ہونے چاہیں ورنہ بہت دیر ہو جائے گی’کوشش ہی نہیں کی ہے ان کا کہنا ہے کہ

کا شفاف اندراج ہوا ہی نہیں اجمل خان وزیر کا اِن مطالبات کی وضاحت میں کہنا تھا کہ قبائلی عالقوں میں تمام ووٹروں

ہم نے خواتین کے شناختی ’ہے۔ اسی وجہ سے ایک امیدوار پانچ تو دوسرا سات ہزار ووٹ لے کر کامیاب ہو رہے تھے۔

‘کارڈ بنانے اور ووٹ کے اندراج کی ضرورت پر بھی زور دیا ہے


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قبائلی عالقوں سے متعلق اس کمیٹی میں عوامی نیشنل پارٹی، جماعت اسالمی، پیپلز پارٹی، جعمیت علمائے اسالم )فضل

الرحمان(، متحدہ قومی مومنٹ، نیشنل پارٹی، پختونخوا ملی عوامی پارٹی، مسلم لیگ )ق(، مسلم لیگ )ن( اور قومی وطن

پارٹی کو نمائندگی حاصل تھی۔

جماعتوں کے خیال میں انتخابی کمیشن کو ان اصالحات پر فوری طور پر عمل درآمد کروانا ہوگا ورنہ قبائلی عالقوں ان

میں صاف، شفاف اور غیرجانبدارانہ انتخابات کا انعقاد مشکل ہوگا۔

خیبر پختونخوا کو ارسال کر دی روری عمل درآمد کے لیے انتخابی کمیشن، صدر اور گورنکمیٹی نے یہ سفارشات ف

۔ہیں

Translation—In 2011, the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari allowed all political

parties to initiate political activities in the tribal areas. But still today, 18 months later,

neither the president nor prime minister nor any leader of a major political party has

visited the area.

Ten political parties representing their parties’ interests in the tribal areas of Pakistan

have demanded five major reforms prior to general elections.

Elections are fast approaching in Pakistan and election-related activities are on the rise.

However, it has been reported that nothing is happening in the tribal areas.

For the first time in history, all political parties will be able to participate freely in

elections in tribal areas. However, during the four and a half years of the present

government’s tenure, neither president nor the prime minister has been able to visit these

areas. No leader of any major political party has visited either, despite the lifting of the

ban on political activity.

Pakistan’s religious parties, JUI-F and JI have been very active there now and were so

previously despite the ban on political activity.

A committee made up of ten political parties has demanded now from the government

that it ensure registration of voters in the tribal areas, facilitate voting of one and half

million displaced tribal people, appoint judicial officials in the tribal areas just like other

parts of the country, and provide tribal voters with polling stations near their homes. The

FATA Committee also demanded direct contact from the election commission with local

political party leaders in FATA.

Senior Vice President of PML-Q, Ajmal Khan Wazir, who belongs to FATA, is a

member of this committee.

Speaking to BBC Urdu, he admitted that political leaders have still not tried to visit the

tribal areas. He said that "these visits should be made; otherwise it will be too late”.

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Explaining these demands, Ajmal Wazir said that neither transparent nor sufficient voter

registration efforts have been made in the tribal area. For this reason, it is possible for a

candidate to successfully win a FATA National Assembly constituency with only five

thousand or seven thousand votes. “We have also stressed the need of making CNICs

available to women and increasing their enrollment in the voter list and participation in

elections.”

The Political Parties Joint Committee on FATA Reforms counts on the representation of

ANP, JI, PPP, JUI-F, MQM, NP, PkMAP, PML, PML-N and QWP.

These parties think that the election commission should immediately implement these

reforms. Otherwise, it will be difficult to hold fair, transparent and neutral elections in the

tribal areas.

The committee has sent these recommendations to the Election Commission of Pakistan,

President Zardari and the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for immediate consideration

and implementation.

سی جماعتوں کی کمیٹی برائے فاٹا اصالحات سیا

نے الیکشن کمیشن کو تجاویز دے دیںNawa-e-Waqt , 10 January 2013

*Print edition only

Political parties united on FATA electoral reforms Dawn, 8 January 2013


In a significant move, 10 major political parties have jointly submitted their proposals to the

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) suggesting steps needed to ensure holding of fair,

transparent and accessible party-based general election in the tribal areas for the first time in the

country’s history.

A letter containing five recommendations has been sent to Chief Election Commissioner Justice

(retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim and ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed Khan by the hitherto unknown

Political Parties Joint Committee on Fata Reforms or Fata Committee. It comprises members

from both government and opposition parties.

The letter, delivered to the ECP on Tuesday, carries signatures of representatives of the PPP,

PML-N, PML-Q, MQM, ANP, JUI-F, JI, National Party, Pakhtunkhawa Milli Awami Party and

Qaumi Watan Party.


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Talking to Dawn, a member of the committee and senior vice-president of the PML-Q, Ajmal

Khan Wazir, said political parties had highlighted their concerns requiring immediate action by

the ECP.

Mr Wazir, who himself is aspiring for a National Assembly seat from South Waziristan, said the

committee had been formed some two years ago, but its members managed to finalise

recommendations as recently as last month at a meeting facilitated by the National Democratic

Institute, a US think tank, in Islamabad.

He said the committee was formed to develop a consensus on electoral reforms and amendments

to the Frontier Crimes Regulation and extension of the Political Parties Order to Fata.

The committee recommended that “a targeted campaign should be launched immediately to

provide Fata citizens with computerised national identity cards (CNICs) and to register them as

voters with the ECP”.

The campaign, it says, should place special emphasis on women throughout Fata and on

internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in camps in Fata and in adjacent districts.

The ECP and Nadra have been asked to communicate schedules of deployment of additional

registration efforts directly to the leadership of political parties and work together closely and as

quickly as possible to ensure that all those receiving new CNICs are also registered to vote.

The committee fears that over 150,000 IDPs are facing disenfranchisement in the coming general

election if they are not allowed to cast votes through special measures.

“International law is clear about the voting rights of IDPs and to ensure equal access to

democratic participation, all IDPs from Fata should be provided with the opportunity to vote.

Specifically, all citizens residing in camps should be permitted to cast their vote for the candidate

of their choice in their home constituency in Fata,” it says.

“Due to the security situation, many IDPs are prohibited from returning home and these voters

should be provided with an alternative mechanism for voting in home constituency elections

even while living currently in an IDP camp elsewhere.

“At a minimum, absentee voting should be facilitated for Fata IDPs living outside their normal

constituencies in the camps and host communities at Togh Serai camp, New Durrani camp,

Jalozai camp, D.I. Khan, Hangu, Kohat, Kurram, Peshawar and Tank.”

The letter recalls that Pakistan is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and

the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. These charters obligate the state to

give the internally displaced the right and opportunity to cast their vote whether they are living in

camps or elsewhere.

The committee has urged the government to ensure that judicial officers from neighbouring

settled districts should be appointed as returning officers and district returning officers as per a

decision taken by the National Judicial Policy Making Committee in November.

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“To ensure equitable election administration throughout Pakistan, this decision should also apply

to Fata. As there are no judicial officers in Fata, officers from adjacent districts (Lower Dir,

Malakand, Charsadda, Peshawar, Nowshera, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank, and

D.I. Khan) should be sent to Fata to serve as election officials,” recommends the committee.

The committee has requested the ECP to ensure that polling stations are established within two

kilometres of voters’ homes in line with a decision of the Supreme Court of June 8 last year.

The committee asked the ECP to maintain close coordination with political leaders at the Fata

agency level as “it will allow the identification and mitigation of other local election problems as

they arise”.

The copies of the letter have been sent to President Asif Ali Zardari, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa

Governor Barrister Masood Kausar and Nadra chairman Tariq Malik.

Security Nightmare Dawn editorial, 10 January 2013


A group of individuals representing 10 political parties and brought together by an NGO under

the banner of Political Parties’ Joint Committee on Fata Reforms has produced a set of

recommendations for the Election Commission of Pakistan to help ensure the next general

elections in Fata are more transparent, fair and representative than polls held earlier in the region.

To the extent that a voter registration drive and increasing the number of polling stations will

prevent the disenfranchisement of voters in an area that historically has seen some of the lowest

turnouts in the country, the recommendations are sensible. However, there is a more fundamental

area of concern that the recommendations did not touch upon: security. With military operations

ongoing in some parts of Fata and militants present in every single tribal agency — though their

presence varies in intensity — elections in Fata will be trickier than ever.

Consider the evidence. Maulana Mirajuddin, the MNA representing the Mehsud area of South

Waziristan, was killed in May 2010. Over two and a half years later, a by-election is yet to be

held. Bara in Khyber is beset by similarly intractable security problems, as is Orakzai, where a

military operation is ongoing. North Waziristan remains, of course, a security nightmare about

which little has been done. But the problem is not just of disenfranchisement of voters: even

where elections will be possible, voters’ choice will be severely restricted. The TTP has made

clear that secular parties like the ANP and the PPP are major targets of the militants, making it

next to impossible for the candidates of those parties to run a proper campaign in what will be

the first party-based election in Fata. With both of those parties effectively sidelined if security

does not improve — and they do have significant support in the tribal belt — the door will open

further for right-wing religious parties, complicating the already immense difficulties in crafting

an effective strategy to fight militancy.

Part of the solution may lie in another one of the recommendations of the Fata reforms

committee: allowing absentee voting for IDPs. In the vacant seat of South Waziristan in


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particular, absentee voting along the lines of that permitted in Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK elections

would make much sense. If extended to allow Fata’s electorate to cast their votes in settled

districts as an alternative, the pressure on parties like the ANP and the PPP could ease somewhat.

But such measures will not fundamentally alter the risks candidates will have to confront; in the

absence of overall improved security, elections in Fata could be more unrepresentative than ever.

Elections in FATA (Dawn opinion page) By Khadim Hussain, Dawn, 11 February 2013


The Joint Committee on Fata Reforms represented by 10 major political parties submitted its

recommendations to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding fair and free

elections in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) some time ago.

The committee in its recommendations has suggested steps to be taken by the ECP for

successfully holding elections in Fata. This is a significant move and can pave the way for the

political mainstreaming and de-radicalisation of the tribal agencies if the federal government, the

military establishment and the ECP take the necessary measures for holding fair and free

elections in these areas.

The extension of the 2002 Political Parties Act to Fata in August 2011 was a move aimed at

bringing Fata into Pakistan’s political mainstream. Such mainstreaming, accompanied by efforts

at administrative and economic integration is meant to be a harbinger of a genuine political

process in Fata to give the people there an opportunity to participate in the policymaking process

of the country.

Such participation might bring about an end to the marginalisation that has been Fata’s lot for the

past several decades. It might also neutralise the militant discourse that has permeated the local

communities, and at the same time be considered the first essential step towards making the

residents of Fata stakeholders in the country’s future. But there are challenges ahead.

First, the militant network has spread to almost every agency of Fata especially South

Waziristan, North Waziristan, Kurram, Orakzai and Khyber. Most of these agencies have been

witnessing the strangulating social control of the militant network over the past two decades.

One can assume that some modicum of normalcy has been restored to the Bajaur, Mohmand and

Malakand agencies and some parts of South Waziristan after intermittent military operations

from 2009 to 2012.

The social control of the militant network in various shades poses a threat to the political process

in Fata in general but specifically to all liberal democratic parties. This might severely endanger

the process of genuine representative electioneering in Fata.

Second, the civilian administration in almost all agencies of Fata has not yet been allowed to

start functioning routinely. The registration of voters, allotment of polling booths and

administration of electioneering through returning officers might face serious hurdles in the

absence of the writ of the high courts and Supreme Court in Fata. Right from election

campaigning to the counting of votes, questions may arise pertaining to transparency, especially


10

in the case of female voters. Besides, the issue of the hundreds and thousands of internally

displaced people (IDPs) still lingers.

Third, political parties might not be able to openly conduct their election campaigns in the

presence of military checkposts and the stranglehold of the militant network. Ticket-holders of

political parties might face severe resistance from militant networks.

It is a matter of satisfaction that the majority of the people in Fata including the IDPs are inclined

to support party-based elections in the area as emerged from interviews conducted with people

belonging to different parts of the tribal areas. This gives hope to those who are for reforms,

mainstreaming and de-radicalisation in Fata.

Certain measures can be suggested to create an enabling environment for holding free and fair

elections in the tribal region.

First, as has been suggested by the Fata committee, the ECP needs to make urgent arrangements

for the registration of voters. The ECP also needs to develop a mechanism for the deployment of

returning officers from the adjoining districts. No progress in this regard has been made so far.

The process of the allotment of polling booths that are accessible to voters and booths for the

IDPs needs to be planned on an urgent basis due to the fact that in most agencies of Fata, the

population is widely scattered.

Second, the federal government may develop a mechanism for coordination between the political

administration and the military in Fata to ensure the security of both contestants and voters.

Specifically, the intelligence wings of the security forces have to make sure that no candidate is

abducted, attacked or intimidated by the terror network in Fata before and during the elections.

All supply lines of the militant network need to be cut off for the security of both voters and

candidates.

Third, all those political parties that wish to participate in the elections in Fata must form an

alliance to agree on the fundamental principles of the rules of game. The alliance may not be

necessarily for the purpose of contesting elections together but for creating an enabling

environment for polls.

Due to the sensitive security and sociopolitical circumstances of Fata, political cooperation is of

utmost importance. Besides agreement on the code of conduct developed by the ECP, political

parties contesting elections in Fata must agree to safeguard one another against imminent

dangers and mobilise voters. They should also facilitate one another in holding corner meetings.

Political parties must carry out consultations on an urgent basis to form a strategy for

engagement with at least some militant groups with the help of the federal government, the

provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the military establishment. This move could

slow down militancy during the election season.

Civil society organisations, including unions of journalists, working in Fata must form

consortiums to facilitate the registration of voters, help returning officers conduct electioneering

and develop tools for monitoring the elections. Civil society organisations might also form cells

to update the government and political parties on important issues and events in Fata. They might

11

also help in developing an enabling environment for dialogue between political administrations

and militant groups.

Last but not least the holding of local- bodies polls in Fata immediately after elections is

important so that the political process becomes the norm at the grassroots level. The time to act is

now.

Govt going to hold first-ever polls in FATA The Nation, 10 January 2013


The government has decided to hold first ever election in the Fata including North Waziristan

Agency to bring these areas at par with country’s settled districts and tackle the scourge of

terrorism and extremism politically. Well-placed sources told The Nation on Wednesday that

government is devising a comprehensive security plan to ensure that voters in Federally

Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are facilitated to the extent that they could freely exercise their

right to vote.Sources said that a high level meeting would be held soon in the Election

Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to finalise the election arrangements for Fata where nearly two

million voters for the first time would directly elect their representatives.Sources further said that

Pakistan Army and other law enforcement agencies have been asked to give their input on the

security of voters including the internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the camps who had

left their homes during military operations.

“I have demanded from the election commission to make adequate polling arrangements for the

IDPs,” leader of Fata Group in the National Assembly, Munir Khan Orakzai, told The Nation.

He confirmed that election on all the 12 National Assembly seats in Fata will be held as result of

extension of Political Parties Act 1973.“Nothing is impossible where there is a political will of

the government and national consensus,” Pakistan Mulsim League (PML) Vice President Ajmal

Khan Wazir said in response to question on engaging Taliban in national politics.

“This is long term effort and may not be possible in the upcoming elections,” Ajmal said, adding

his party has given due input on electoral reforms in Fata.Military sources acknowledged

election-related challenges in Fata but said the security forces were all set to discharge the

national duty for ensuring peaceful polling in a secured environment. Ajmal Wazir, who is one

of the members of the Political Parties Joint Committee on Fata Reforms (FATA Committee),

said that as many as ten major political parties except PTI have sought urgent action by the ECP

in addressing five key concerns to ensure fair, transparent and accessible general elections in

Fata.

He said that 10 political parties making up the Fata Committee recommend that the National

Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and the ECP take swift measures in Fata to increase

computerised national identity card (CNIC) issuance and voter registration. Historically

disenfranchised, Fata voters deserve increased efforts to facilitate their participation in the

upcoming general elections, he added.


12

In a letter delivered on Wednesday to the ECP and Nadra, the Political Parties Joint Committee

on Fata Reforms submitted the consensus recommendations for their immediate consideration

and action. The letter was also delivered to President Asif Ali Zardari, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Governor Syed Masood Kausar, and the SAFRON Ministry secretary.

The committee recommended that the ECP allow internally displaced persons (IDPs) to cast

votes from camps and host communities for candidates in their home constituency. Political

parties also urge government authorities to ensure that judicial officers from neighbouring settled

districts serve as returning officers and district returning officers, just as has been planned for

elections throughout Pakistan.

In line with other recommendations from political parties, the Fata Committee requested that the

ECP ensure polling stations are within two kilometres of voter homes as per by the Supreme

Court directions. It also recommended the ECP regularly meet with the leadership of political

parties in Fata to address the complex electoral challenges there.

2013 elections: FATA Committee set to reach consensus on demands Express Tribune, 9 January 2013


The 10 political parties represented in the Joint Committee on Federally Administered Tribal

Areas (Fata) Reforms have submitted recommendations to their respective party leaderships to

ensure free and fair elections in the tribal areas.

The recommendations, which include demands to be made to the Election Commission of

Pakistan to make the polls more transparent, have been sent to different parties for consideration

and feedback, ANP stalwart and central deputy secretary of the committee Nawabzada Mohsin

Ali Khan told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

“Yes, we held a meeting around 12 days earlier in Islamabad, wherein key concerns requiring

action from the ECP were discussed and recommendations have now been submitted to the

leaderships of respective parties,” said Khan.

“As far as ANP is concerned, the recommendations have been submitted to the party’s central

president Asfandyar Wali Khan and he is expected to give his feedback in a week. Other parties

are expected to do the same. It will enable us to make demands and recommendations to the ECP

and government for conducting successful general elections in Fata. We will make our demands

public by mid-January.”

The Joint Committee on FATA Reforms was established in 2010 to identify and lobby for

reforms through building consensus, increasing awareness and promoting dialogue in the tribal

areas.


13

Awami National Party (ANP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F),

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), National Party (NP), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party

(PKMAP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-

Q), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) are part of the committee.

PML-Q Central Senior Vice President Ajmal Khan Wazir said a letter has already been sent to

the ECP, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), President Asif Ali Zardari,

K-P Governor Syed Masood Kausar and the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, proposing

certain recommendations as “political parties prepare to participate in elections in Fata for the

first time in history.”

Wazir said the decision to allow judicial officers to serve as ECP returning officers and district

officers should also be extended to Fata.

As there are no judicial officers in Fata, officers from adjacent districts (Lower Dir, Malakand,

Charsadda, Peshawar, Nowshera, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank and DI Khan)

should be sent to Fata to serve as election officials, added Wazir.

He also cited the Supreme Court’s orders saying polling stations “should not be at a distance of

more than two kilometres from the place of residence of voters.” He said the decision should

apply to Fata to ensure equal access for voters.

JI leader from Fata, Sahibzada Haroon Rashid urged the prompt registration of voters. He said

the ECP and NADRA should immediately launch a campaign and work closely with political

parties to ensure that all those receiving new national identity cards (NICs) are also registered to

vote.

Rashid said the tribal areas have remained volatile due to sensitive law and order situation for

years and more than 150,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) face disenfranchisement in the

upcoming general elections. “All IDPs from Fata should be provided with the opportunity to

vote.”

He reiterated the committee would make its demands public by mid-January and then push the

government for implementation of its recommendations.

Free, fair elections in FATA: Political parties

make recommendations to ECP, NADRA Frontier Post, 9 January 2013


(APP) As political parties prepare to participate in elections in FATA for the first time in history,

the Political Parties' Joint Committee on FATA Reforms (FATA Committee) have highlighted

five key concerns that require urgent action by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to

ensure free, fair and transparent general elections in FATA.


14

In a letter delivered to the ECP and NADRA on Tuesday by political parties' leadership, the

FATA Committee recommend that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)

and the ECP must take swift measures in FATA to increase Computerized National Identity Card

(CNIC) registration and voter registration.

The disenfranchised FATA voters deserve increased efforts to facilitate their participation in the

upcoming general elections,they added.

The FATA Committee also recommended the ECP to allow internally displaced persons (IDPs)

to cast votes from camps and host communities for candidates in their home constituency.

Political parties also urged the government authorities to ensure that judicial officers from

neighboring settled districts should serve as returning officers and district returning officers, just

as is planned for elections throughout Pakistan.

The FATA Committee also requested the ECP to ensure polling stations within two kilometers of

voter's homes as required by the Supreme Court. The FATA Joint Committee recommended the

ECP regularly meet with the leadership of political parties in FATA to work together in

addressing the numerous and complex electoral challenges in FATA.

Ten political parties are represented in the FATA Committee including Awami National Party,

Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, National Party,

Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Pakistan Muslim League

Quaid-e-Azam, Pakistan People's Party and Qaumi Watan Party.

The letter was also delivered to President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, Governor of Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa Syed Masood Kausar and the Secretary Ministry of SAFRON.

The Political Parties Joint Committee on FATA Reforms submitted the consensus

recommendations listed below for their immediate consideration and action.

The Political Parties Joint Committee on FATA Reforms (FATA Committee) was established in

2010 to identify and advocate for areas of consensus on reform priorities, including amendments

to the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and the extension of the Political Parties Order to

FATA.

Political parties make recommendations to ECP, NADRA for free, fair

elections in FATA Business Recorder, 8 January 2013


*APP report; also printed in The Frontier Post as seen above


15

FATA committee explains

five key concerns over elections Business Recorder, 9 January 2013


As political parties prepare to participate in elections in Fata for the first time in history, the

Political Parties Joint Committee on Fata Reforms highlights five key concerns that require

urgent action by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure fair, transparent and

accessible general elections.

The 10 political parties making up the Fata Committee recommend that the National Database

and Registration Authority (Nadra) and the ECP take swift measures in Fata to increase

Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) registration and voter registration. Historically

disenfranchised, Fata voters deserve increased efforts to facilitate their participation in the

upcoming general elections.

The committee also recommends that the ECP allow internally displaced persons (IDPs) to cast

votes from camps and host communities for candidates in their home constituency. Political

parties also urge government authorities to ensure that judicial officers from neighbouring settled

districts serve as returning officers and district returning officers, just as is planned for elections

throughout Pakistan.

In line with other recommendations from political parties, the committee requests that the ECP

ensure polling stations are within two kilometres of voter homes as required by the Supreme

Court. The committee recommends the ECP regularly meet with the leadership of political

parties in Fata to work together in addressing the numerous and complex electoral challenges.

In a letter delivered on Tuesday to the ECP and Nadra, the committee submitted the consensus

recommendations listed below for their immediate consideration and action. The letter was also

delivered to President Asif Ali Zardari, Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Syed Masood Kausar,

and the Safron Ministry secretary.

1. Nadra and the ECP should increase efforts to register Fata voters - A targeted campaign

should be launched immediately to provide Fata citizens with Computerised National Identity

Cards (CNIC) and to register them as voters with the ECP. The campaign should place special

emphasis on women throughout Fata and on internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in camps

inside Fata and in adjacent districts. By opening additional offices, deploying mobile registration

units, and expediting processes, the issuing of CNICs for these groups should be improved

significantly. The ECP and Nadra should communicate deployment schedules of additional

registration efforts directly with political party leadership and also work together closely and as

quickly as possible to ensure that all those receiving new CNICs are also registered to vote.

2. ECP should allow absentee voting for Fata IDPs - More than 150,000 internally displaced Fata

citizens face voter disenfranchisement in upcoming general elections. International law is clear

about the voting rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and to ensure equal access to

democratic participation, all IDPs from Fata should be provided with the opportunity to vote.


16


of their choice in their home constituency in Fata. For example, an IDP originally from Bara in

Khyber Agency but currently living in the Jalozai IDP camp in Nowshera should be permitted to

cast his vote in the NA-46 election from a polling station inside the camp. Due to the security

situation, many IDPs from Fata are prohibited from returning home. These voters should be

provided with an alternate mechanism for voting in home constituency elections even while

living currently in an IDP camp elsewhere. At a minimum, absentee voting should be facilitated

for Fata IDPs living outside their normal constituencies in the following camps and host

communities: Togh Serai camp, New Durrani camp, Jalozai camp, D.I. Khan, Hangu, Kohat,

Kurram, Peshawar and Tank.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, Article 21), the International Convention

on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, Article 25) and the United Nations Guiding Principles on

Internal Displacement (UNGPID) indicate that IDPs must be provided the right and opportunity

to vote in elections, whether or not they are living in camps. Pakistan is a signatory to the UDHR

and the ICCPR and therefore obligated to protect the political and human rights of its citizens in

Fata.

3. Judicial officers should serve as election officials in Fata - On November 17, 2012, the

National Judicial Policy Making Committee's (NJPMC) decided to allow judicial officers to

serve as ECP returning officers and district returning officers in the upcoming general elections.

To ensure equitable election administration throughout Pakistan, this decision should also apply

to Fata. As there are no judicial officers in Fata, officers from adjacent districts (Lower Dir,


D.I. Khan) should be sent to Fata to serve as election officials.

4. ECP should provide polling stations two kilometres from voters - As directed by the Supreme

Court of Pakistan in Constitutional Petition No 87 of 2011 (order dated June 8, 2012), article 28,

page 31, polling stations should not be "at a distance of more than two kilometres from the place

of residence of voters". To ensure equal access for voters throughout Pakistan, this decision

should also apply to Fata.

5. ECP should engage directly with political party leaders in Fata - The Fata Committee and

agency-level political party leaders in Fata are open and available for direct negotiations and

problem-solving with the ECP regarding the implementation of the recommendations above.

Fata voices are typically excluded from national-level dialogue with political parties and should

be included in direct provincial-level outreach initiated by the ECP. Additionally, close co-

ordination between ECP officials and political party leaders at the Fata agency level will allow

the identification and mitigation of other local election problems as they arise.

The Political Parties Joint Committee on Fata Reforms was established in 2010 to identify and

advocate for areas of consensus on reform priorities, including amendments to the Frontier

Crimes Regulation (FCR) and the extension of the Political Parties Order to Fata. The committee

engages in discussions with stakeholders from Fata as a way to build consensus, increase

awareness and promote dialogue on existing and future reforms in the tribal areas.

With complete support from political party leadership, 10 political parties are represented on the

Fata Committee: Awami National Party (ANP), Jamaate Islami (JI), Jamiat Ulemae Islam F

17

(JUI-F), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), National Party (NP), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami

Party (PkMAP), Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-

Azam (PML), Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP).

Politicians make recommendations to ECP, NADRA

for free, fair FATA elections Pakistan Observer, 9 January 2013


*APP report; also printed in The Frontier Post as seen above

Politics on the frontline in FATA By Zia Ur Rehman, The Friday Times, 8 February 2013


For the first time in the country's history, political parties will participate in general elections in the

militant-infested tribal areas expected in May this year.

In August 2011, President Asif Ali Zardari introduced a regulation to amend the Frontier Crimes

Regulation (FCR) under Article 247 of the Constitution and also extended the Political Parties Act

(PPA) 2002 to the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), allowing political parties to

operate there as they do elsewhere in Pakistan.

Prior to the extension, FATA's 12 members in the National Assembly and eight members in the

Senate were elected independently and could not join any political party. The same restrictions

applied to its senators. In the wake of the extension of the act, tribal candidates for the first time will

be allotted symbols of their respective political parties in the next general elections. Until the

introduction of adult franchise in 1996, the elections in tribal areas were based on selective voting,

meaning that some 35,000 maliks (elders) were entitled to cast vote.

The terrain of FATA lies between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan and the neighboring

Afghanistan. It consists of seven tribal agencies - Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai,

North Waziristan and South Waziristan - and six Frontier Regions (FRs) - FR Peshawar, FR Kohat,

FR Bannu, FR Lakki Marwat, FR Tank and FR DI Khan. The region has a total area of 27,220

square kilometers, and is almost entirely inhabited by Pashtun tribes.

Since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s and especially the US arrival in 2001, the

region has become a hub of militancy. The area is considered to be the epicenter of violence in

Afghanistan and Pakistan and a major source of international terrorism. All the seven tribal agencies

and adjacent FRs have been affected by the rise of militancy and the military operations carried out

in response.



18

"The people of FATA are very thankful to President Zardari who has lifted a 64-year ban last year on

activities of political parties in seven tribal agencies of FATA," said Akhundzada Chattan, a

parliamentarian elected from Bajaur Agency and a leader of Pakistan People's Party (PPP). He said

the reforms would not only pave the way for political and economic empowerment of tribal people

but also help in eradicating militancy in the region.

Liberal political parties may not be able to run election campaigns in FATA because of security

threats. That will help groups or candidates that are soft on Taliban.

"The PPA has encouraged political parties to boost their efforts for politicking," said Jan Achakzai, a

political analyst who monitors FATA affairs very closely. "Candidates from various agencies have

already started using billboards, sloganeering, pamphlets, and openly showing their political

affiliations."

The Awami National Party (ANP), the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf

(PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are the key

political parties operating in FATA. Political observers agree that the JUI-F is the only political party

that has a strong organizational structure and support in FATA, which mainly relies on a large

network of madrassas and mosques. In October, the JUI-F formed a 32-member committee

consisting of leaders from the seven tribal agencies and six FRs of FATA under the leadership of

Mufti Abdul Shakoor for the preparation of the general elections.

More than 150,000 internally displaced people may be disenfranchised

But influential 'independent' politicians who win the elections in FATA on the basis of tribal strength

and wealth are not happy with the extension of the PPA in the tribal areas. "The political process in

FATA will ultimately stop the buying and selling of votes in the tribal areas," said Gul Muhammad

Mamond, an activist from Bajaur Agency.

Achakzai believes that independent candidates will remain an important factor in the coming

elections, but they will be under increasing pressure from opponents backed by political parties.

Some independent politicians have already started lobbying for tickets from political parties.

But many political parties are reluctant to start organizational and electoral activities in the volatile

region. In the year and a half since the PPA was extended to the tribal areas, only religious political

parties have been able to hold public rallies or even indoor political meetings.

In October, PTI chief Imran Khan led a rally against US drone attacks to Tank but couldn't enter

South Waziristan. Even President Zardari, who is also the co-chairperson of Pakistan's largest

political party and a direct administrator of FATA, has not visited the region.

Internally displaced people gather for registration upon their arrival at the Jalozai camp

Political leaders and activists in FATA fear they may not be able to run election campaigns because

of security threats. They believe Taliban militants might influence the elections with terror, and

security agencies have repeatedly warned the political and religious figures of the KP province and

tribal areas of threats to their lives.

19

"All political parties are facing such challenges," Achakzai said. Liberal political parties may not be

able to run proper election campaigns in FATA because of security threats. That will help groups or

candidates that are soft on Taliban militants," said an ANP leader from North Waziristan. He said

that leaders of ANP and PPP are cut off from the people because of security fears, and that is sending

the voters away towards right-wing political parties such as JUI-F, PTI, JI and the PML-N.

In the 2008 elections, polling was conducted on 11 seats of the National Assembly in FATA,

excluding NA-42 of South Waziristan, which consists of Mehsud areas. This seat has been lying

vacant because of the law and order situation and the ongoing military operation in the constituency.

Because of military operations against Taliban militants in various tribal agencies, especially South

Waziristan and Khyber, the local population has been displaced from their areas. Political observers

fear that over 150,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are facing disenfranchisement in the

coming general election if they are not allowed to cast votes through special measures. "Due to the

security situation, many IDPs are prohibited from returning home. These voters should be provided

with an alternative mechanism for voting in their home constituencies," said the Joint Committee on

FATA Reforms, a committee established in 2010 to identify and lobby for reforms through building

consensus and promoting dialogue in the tribal areas. Ismail Mehsud, a leader of ANP, said the

Election Commission of Pakistan should make arrangements for holding elections in volatile areas

like NA-42 or Khyber Agency at alternative places, including Karachi, where the displaced people

from these tribal areas live.

ECP, NADRA Urged to Take Steps for Fair Elections in FATA FATA Research Centre (FRC), 8 January 2013

http://frc.com.pk/news/ecp-nadra-urged-to-take-steps-for-fair-elections-in-

fata/?utm_source=Pakistan+News+Weekly&utm_medium=FATANews

*Also covered in the 9 January 2013 FRC Daily Brief

As political parties prepare to participate in elections in FATA for the first time in

history, the Political Parties Joint Committee on FATA Reforms (FATA

Committee) highlights five key concerns that require urgent action by the Election

Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure fair, transparent and accessible general

elections in FATA.

The key recommendations of the Committee include urgent registration of voters, allowing

absentee voting for FATA IDPs, appointment of judicial officers as ECP returning officials and

setting up polling stations not more than two km away from voters’ residences. It also

recommends that ECP should directly coordinate with political parties for holding fair elections.

The 10 major political parties, leaving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf aside, making up the FATA

Committee recommend that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the

ECP take swift measures in FATA to increase Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC)

registration and voter registration. Historically disenfranchised, FATA voters deserve increased

efforts to facilitate their participation in the upcoming general elections.



20

The FATA Committee also recommends that the ECP allow internally displaced persons (IDPs)


Political parties also urge government authorities to ensure that judicial officers from

neighboring settled districts serve as returning officers and district returning officers, just as is

planned for elections throughout Pakistan.

In line with other recommendations from political parties, the FATA Committee requests that the

ECP ensure polling stations are within two kilometers of voter homes as required by the

Supreme Court. The FATA Joint Committee recommends the ECP regularly meet with the

leadership of political parties in FATA to work together in addressing the numerous and complex

electoral challenges in FATA.

In a letter delivered today to the ECP and NADRA, the Political Parties Joint Committee on

FATA Reforms submitted the consensus recommendations listed below for their immediate

consideration and action. The letter was also delivered to President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari,

Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Syed Masood Kausar, and the SAFRON Ministry secretary.




FATA. The committee engages in discussions with stakeholders from FATA as a way to build

consensus, increase awareness and promote dialogue on existing and future reforms in the tribal

areas.


FATA Committee: Awami National Party (ANP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam F

(JUI-F), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), National Party (NP), Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami


Azam (PML-Q), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP).

It is noticeable that Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) is not the part of FATA Committee.

The FATA Committee has also advertised its activities on social media while launching a

Facebook page and Twitter on December 22 last year which has ironically only “5 likes” and “4

followers” so far.

21

ECP Role in IDPs’ Right to Vote By Khan Zeb Burki, The Lahore Times, 21 January 2013


Democracy is an incomplete system without the exercise of equal rights and people’s

participation. People of Federally Administered Tribal Areas were deprived of this equal right to

vote before 1997 as only Tribal Elders or Maliks were enjoying the same. There were

apprehensions about bloodshed during the first general elections in FATA due to no ban on the

show of arms in the area. But the political maturity of the tribesmen astonished the world when

the results of the elections contradicted the presupposed apprehensions.

The Political Parties Act will enable the people to enjoy the rights to be members of political

parties of their choice and to vote for nominated candidates. The tribesmen are ambitious to

organize political gatherings and demonstrations to eliminate the environment of fear from the

region. But the political parties leadership is reluctance to start political gathering and election

campaign to mobilize and educate the people as in other parts of the country due to fear of

militant attacks. The religious parties are active in the tribal belt to increase the membership and

enlist the people support in the upcoming general elections.

The secular and liberal parties are waiting to mend way to FATA for political campaign. Last

week, the Political Parties Joint Committee on FATA Reforms consisted of ten parties has

forwarded five point agenda to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure free, fair

and transparent elections in the tribal belt. The Election Commission should consider these

points including registration of votes, allowing IDPs to vote from the camps, judicial officers to

be returning officers, polling station in every two kilometers, and the Election Commission

should be in contact with the political leaders of FATA.

The Joint Committee recommended swift measure to issue Computerized Identity Cards for the

purpose of using these in future voting. But the committee may not know that NADRA has

created problem instead of solving the problems of the people. Thousands of IDPs from South

Waziristan, who have applied for the cards, are knocking the door of NADRA regional offices to

collect their card. On the other hand, most of them heard the phrase “Your ID card is blocked

several times, with suggestion to contact NADRA head office in Islamabad. When they came to

Islamabad, they were referred back to their regional office. Some officers of NADRA suggested

them to contact their Political Agent for sending a request to the NADRA Head Office in this

regard. According to NADRA Regional officer, these people have applied for IDPs registration

as well as CNIC; therefore, the request cannot be processed due to multiple applies. Strangely,

NADRA has not taken the decision yet from the last two or three years about the fate of these

lingering requests. The IDPs face harsh behavior of security forces or sometimes punishment at

different check posts for having no Identity Card. The need is to send NADRA mobile teams to

the region and ensure swift registration of the male and female populous of FATA.


22

Fortunately, the political parties have realized that FATA should have political rights, and free

and fair elections are the right of this democratically deprived region. Vote, a political right

enable the people to choose the representatives of their choice. But how may they choose the

representatives, as most part of FATA is under the shadow of gun, and military operations have

forced hundreds of thousands tribesmen to leave their hometowns mostly from South Waziristan,

Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber agencies.

The IDPs have spread across the country. Their votes have been registered in the area where they

took shelter. This mass movement has put the political future of FATA into danger. A viable

demand of joint committee should be given honest and earnest attention. The ECP’s efforts to

enlist voters have negative impact on FATA politics due to their registration in other areas. The

political parties have not yet fulfilled its responsibilities of mobilizing the people of FATA on

vote registration and its importance. Due to their existing economic and social problems, it has

become difficult for the IDPs to take part in politics. They hardly earn their livelihood and

begging for rations in the camps. These problems have made them unaware of the importance of

vote and their political future. The EC representatives should go from camp to camp and door to

door to ensure the registration of voters and a special committee should be established to

facilitate the process in the recommend areas by the Joint Committee as well as other big cities

like Karachi, Quetta, Lahore and Islamabad where IDPs have migrated.

After the completion of registration process, the voters should be allowed to vote for the

representatives of their choice in their home constituencies. This suggestion is not new

phenomenon as we are practicing the same thing for the elections of representatives of Kashmir

Assembly. The Election Commission should establish polling stations for the people of FATA in

all big cities where IDPs have chosen to live until they are not allowed to return their

hometowns. If the demands of vote facilities are ignored, the political future of FATA will be

bleak and dark. Not only millions of people will be deprived of the right of vote but true people’s

representatives will also not be chosen. So once again, the future of FATA will be more insecure

and dangerous. It is high time that the Election Commission should open it branch in FATA to

address the grievances of people, and ensure fair and transparent elections.

If necessary measures are not taken and the displaced people have been deprived of their right to

vote in the upcoming elections, the conservative view as well as fanatic ideology with traditional

approach will affect the future of FATA with its worst types of implications.

The writer is an M. Phil Scholar and Tribal Affairs Analyst

23

Political parties show rare unity in push for fair elections in tribal areas News Pakistan, 8 January 2013


All major political and religious parties have shown rare unity

to call on the country’s election commission to ensure fair,

transparent and accessible general elections in the insurgency-

hit FATA or the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The call from the Political Parties Joint Committee on FATA

Reforms (FATA Committee) came just months ahead of the

parliamentary polls as political parties prepare to participate in

elections in FATA for the first time in history. The forum has highlighted five key concerns that

require urgent action by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The 10 political parties making up the FATA Committee recommend that the National Database

and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the ECP take swift measures in FATA to increase

Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) registration and voter registration. Historically

disenfranchised, FATA voters deserve increased efforts to facilitate their participation in the

upcoming general elections.

The FATA Committee also recommends that the ECP allow internally displaced persons (IDPs)


Political parties also urge government authorities to ensure that judicial officers from

neighboring settled districts serve as returning officers and district returning officers, just as is

planned for elections throughout Pakistan.

In line with other recommendations from political parties, the FATA Committee requests that the

ECP ensure polling stations are within two kilometers of voter homes as required by the

Supreme Court. The FATA Joint Committee recommends the ECP regularly meet with the

leadership of political parties in FATA to work together in addressing the numerous and complex

electoral challenges in FATA.

In a letter delivered on Tuesday to the ECP and NADRA, the Political Parties Joint Committee

on FATA Reforms submitted the consensus recommendations listed below for their immediate

consideration and action. The letter was also delivered to President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari,

Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Syed Masood Kausar, and the SAFRON Ministry secretary.

1. NADRA and the ECP should increase efforts to register FATA voters - A targeted campaign

should be launched immediately to provide FATA citizens with Computerized National Identity


24

Cards (CNIC) and to register them as voters with the ECP. The campaign should place special

emphasis on women throughout FATA and on internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in

camps inside FATA and in adjacent districts. By opening additional offices, deploying mobile

registration units, and expediting processes, the issuing of CNICs for these groups should be

improved significantly. The ECP and NADRA should communicate deployment schedules of

additional registration efforts directly with political party leadership and also work together

closely and as quickly as possible to ensure that all those receiving new CNICs are also

registered to vote.

2. ECP should allow absentee voting for FATA IDPs - More than 150,000 internally displaced

FATA citizens face voter disenfranchisement in upcoming general elections. International law is

clear about the voting rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and to ensure equal access to

democratic participation, all IDPs from FATA should be provided with the opportunity to vote.


of their choice in their home constituency in FATA. For example, an IDP originally from Bara in

Khyber Agency but currently living in the Jalozai IDP camp in Nowshera should be permitted to

cast his vote in the NA-46 election from a polling station inside the camp. Due to the security

situation, many IDPs from FATA are prohibited from returning home. These voters should be

provided with an alternate mechanism for voting in home constituency elections even while

living currently in an IDP camp elsewhere. At a minimum, absentee voting should be facilitated

for FATA IDPs living outside their normal constituencies in the following camps and host

communities: Togh Serai camp, New Durrani camp, Jalozai camp, D.I. Khan, Hangu, Kohat,

Kurram, Peshawar and Tank.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, Article 21), the International Convention

on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, Article 25) and the United Nations Guiding Principles on

Internal Displacement (UNGPID) indicate that IDPs must be provided the right and opportunity

to vote in elections, whether or not they are living in camps. Pakistan is a signatory to the UDHR

and the ICCPR and therefore obligated to protect the political and human rights of its citizens in

FATA.

3. Judicial officers should serve as election officials in FATA - On November 17, 2012, the

National Judicial Policy Making Committee’s (NJPMC) decided to allow judicial officers to

serve as ECP returning officers and district returning officers in the upcoming general elections.

To ensure equitable election administration throughout Pakistan, this decision should also apply

to FATA. As there are no judicial officers in FATA, officers from adjacent districts (Lower Dir,


D.I. Khan) should be sent to FATA to serve as election officials.

4. ECP should provide polling stations two kilometres from voters - As directed by the Supreme

Court of Pakistan in Constitutional Petition No. 87 of 2011 (order dated June 8, 2012), article 28,

page 31, polling stations should not be “at a distance of more than two kilometres from the place

25

of residence of voters”. To ensure equal access for voters throughout Pakistan, this decision

should also apply to FATA.

5. ECP should engage directly with political party leaders in FATA - The FATA Committee and

agency-level political party leaders in FATA are open and available for direct negotiations and

problem-solving with the ECP regarding the implementation of the recommendations above.

FATA voices are typically excluded from national-level dialogue with political parties and

should be included in direct provincial-level outreach initiated by the ECP. Additionally, close

coordination between ECP officials and political party leaders at the FATA agency level will

allow the identification and mitigation of other local election problems as they arise.




FATA. The committee engages in discussions with stakeholders from FATA as a way to build

consensus, increase awareness and promote dialogue on existing and future reforms in the tribal

areas.


FATA Committee: Awami National Party (ANP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam F

(JUI-F), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), National Party (NP), Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami


Azam (PML), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP).

Pakistan political parties united in push for fair elections in tribal region The Kooza, 8 January 2013


*A combination of several articles seen above



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Documents

News Coverage of FATA Committee Election Recommendations 2013 January