Imran threatens street agitation over delay in FATA-KP merger

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has threatened the government to hit the roads if Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) did not merge with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) before the 2018 elections.

Addressing the FATA youth convention here on Saturday, the PTI chief said any further delay to merge the war-torn semi-autonomous tribal region would keep the issue hanging for next five years.

Throwing light on poor infrastructure in FATA, Khan stressed need to reconstruct the tribal region. “It’s not possible to develop the FATA without its merger with KP,” he underscored.

He opined that the terrorism would spread in FATA if authorities failed to fill out the vacuum created owing to anti-terrorism operations in the region.

Coming down hard on government allies, he said the JUI-F and the PkMAP, two political parties, had been opposing the FATA-KP merger. “These parties have been doing politics at the cost of tribesmen’s miseries.

Sheikhupura public meeting

Separately, the PTI is all set to hold a public meeting today (Sunday) in Punjab’s Sheikhupura city.

PTI chief Imran Khan, besides other central and district-level leaders, are expected to address the rally.

The party chief is expected to make big announcements today in backdrop of emerging anti-government campaigns.

All arrangements have been finalized and the venue has been decorated with party flags and posters. The city administration has inspected all security arrangements for the event by late night, besides deploying police personnel at and around the venue.

All activists and workers of the PTI kept on rallying across the city on Saturday night in an attempt to mobilize masses to attend today’s public gathering.

The PTI leaders have accelerated their activities across the country in an apparent move to garner support for the upcoming general elections in 2018.