27th
October, 2014
The status of minority in FATA is
not different from rest of country and even worse because in FATA there is no
land settlement except Kurram Agency and it is the main reason that minority
especially Christians have issues of obtaining domiciles, CNICs and other important
documents. They have issues of cemetery to
bury their dead. Similarly they have problems in getting land for their
residential purpose. Besides they face numerous issues in day to day life. They
love their mother land more than other tribesmen and women and we witnessed
this love in our IDPs when a Christian IDPs lady was heard saying that she
needed nothing but wants to back home in Miranshah in North Waziristan. When
such people are not accepted as sons and daughters of the soil then who will be
there asked Zar Ali Khan Afridi during his talks to participants in a dialogue
organized by SAP-PK Peshawar in Peshawar today over Minority rights. He said
Sikh community is absorbed in tribes and it is reason that Sikh community does
not face such problems. In Europe and US
people get citizenship in five year but in FATA Christians did not get it
despite passing of hundred years. Christians have come to Landi kotal in 1914 but
still they are not citizens which is
injustice. He also condemned killing of
people in FATA on name of religion. He also advised participants not to use the
word Minority as it is not a nice word to be used. We are human beings and all
are citizens who need rights. FATA has more than 50 thousand minority which
needs attention as they face issues and those issues are required to be resolved.
Regards
Zar Ali Khan Afridi
A Human Rights Defender
And Executive Director
Society for Rights and Development
FATA
+92-91-3015963337, tncfata@gmail.com, srd.org.pk@gmail.com
