The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has strongly rejected the federal government's committee on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s merged districts, terming it unconstitutional and a clear interference in provincial affairs.
The party announced a complete boycott of the committee’s meetings and demanded its immediate dissolution.
During a joint press conference in Islamabad, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that the committee -- headed by Federal Minister Engineer Amir Muqam -- violates the 18th Constitutional Amendment, which gives provincial governments exclusive authority over administrative matters, including those related to the tribal jirga system.
“This committee is an infringement on the province’s constitutional rights. It should be immediately disbanded,” Gohar said. “The jirga has already been formed. What new jirga is the federal government trying to impose?”
Committee boycott and political backlash
The PTI confirmed that its lawmakers, including those elected from the merged tribal districts, did not attend the committee’s second meeting and will not participate in future sessions.
“None of our MNAs or MPAs from the region attended the meeting. The issue of tribal jirga was not discussed in any meaningful forum,” Gohar added.
Of the seven MNAs elected from the tribal areas, two belong to the PTI. In the KP Assembly, 14 of the 17 MPAs from the merged districts are PTI members.
PTI leader Sheikh Waqas Akram criticized the federal government's motives behind forming the committee, suggesting the move is more about gaining control over valuable mineral resources than governance. “This is not about the merger -- it’s about minerals. FATA is being targeted under the guise of administrative restructuring,” he said.
Financial grievances, NFC concerns
The PTI information secretary noted that the federal government still owes more than Rs700 billion to the tribal areas under the NFC award. “If they are sincere about FATA’s rights, they must release the funds. Without financial justice, these committees are meaningless,” said Sheikh Waqas Akram.
KP Law Minister Aftab Alam echoed the financial concerns, revealing that since the merger in 2018, only Rs132 billion out of a committed Rs1,000 billion has been released to the province. “The federal government is deliberately blocking our share, which is sheer injustice to the people of the tribal areas,” he said.
Provincial autonomy asserted
Former KP governor Shah Farman said that the administrative responsibility of the merger rested with the PTI government and stressed that it was agreed at the time of the merger that elected parliamentarians would control the development funds.
“We don’t need duplicate jirgas or federal interference. Let the provincial government continue its work,” Farman asserted.
Iqbal Afridi, a member of the Saffron Committee, also criticized the committee, stating that key issues were never brought up for discussion in relevant parliamentary forums. “This is a political stunt. We boycott it completely,” he said.
Barrister Gohar emphasized that the PTI-led provincial government would continue to handle matters related to the merged districts independently and in accordance with the constitution. He reiterated the party’s commitment to protecting the rights and resources of FATA.
“This committee has no legitimacy. The people of FATA and KP know how to make their own decisions—and they will,” he concluded.
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