Political Parties Campaign in Historic FATA Elections. URDU version of the full statement of the FATA Committee is available here: http://www.slideshare.net/FATAparties/fata-committee-news-release-14-march-2013-urdu ---- For a Microsoft Word version of the press release, visit the following link: http://goo.gl/sJvaw

1. 40 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FATA ELECTIONS REFORMS
From FATA Agency and Frontier Region Political Party Leaders
March 14, 2013
The Political Parties Joint Committee on FATA Reforms (FATA Committee) convened this
week 54 political party leaders from the seven agencies and frontier regions of FATA to discuss
the realities of campaigning in FATA. 90 percent of these tribal leaders also indicated that the
2011 reforms to the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) are not being implemented in their areas.
53 political party leaders from 9 political parties from 7 agencies and frontier regions present 40 FATA elections
reforms recommendations for immediate implementation. Link for high resolution photo: http://goo.gl/9eUM6
FATA political parties are currently not able to operate freely in many agencies and frontier
regions, due to the law and order situation as well as obstacles put in place by the State,
including intelligence agencies, political agents, the army, some FATA elite, as well as national
and international terrorist groups. All of these elements are working against the political
participation of FATA citizens and restrict political parties from visiting their voters.
Some of the more pressing consensus recommendations from local leaders included abolishing
the requirement for parties to inform political agents about all party gatherings, an effective ban
on “selling” party tickets for MNA seats, and an end to the practice by some maliks of selling the
votes of their people. Likewise, leaders called on the FATA elite to stop collaborating with the
State to prevent political party activity.
40 Recommendations for FATA Elections Reforms, 14 March 2013 1

2. Calling on the ECP to monitor and enforce these regulations, FATA parties warned of the
dangerous election environment in NA-42 in South Waziristan and also asked for reassurance
from the ECP that all registration forms submitted before elections are announced will be
included in the voter list. Finally, FATA parties clearly indicated that the immediate extension of
PEMRA jurisdiction to FATA is essential for ensuring free and transparent elections in the tribal
areas.
Following deliberations in Islamabad, tribal leaders from nine of the committee’s eleven political
parties1 agreed on 40 additional consensus recommendations for free and fair elections in FATA
and the effective implementation of previously enacted FATA reforms. These recommendations
require immediate consideration and tribal party leaders demanded that many of them be enacted
before general elections. The recommendations were consensus points, approved by all tribal
political party leaders in attendance.
FOR IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION
Highlighted and Urgent Recommendations
1) Political parties should be permitted to hold corner meetings without restrictions or
advance notice. The requirement of asking permission or notifying the PA for all
meetings in advance is not realistic and puts political parties at risk of attack. Large
public gatherings or rallies should be notified one week in advance. No permission
should be required.
2) Political parties must not “sell” tickets for MNA seats. The Election Commission should
implement and enforce a ban on this anti-democratic activity.
3) Many maliks continue to sell the votes of their people for money. This practice should be
prohibited by the Election Commission and any “vote buying” activities should be
punishable by law, including the disqualification of candidates violating the regulation.
4) No political activity is taking place so far in the NA-42 constituency in South Waziristan.
The government should take swift action to ensure that free and fair elections may take
place in this constituency.
5) PEMRA jurisdiction should be extended to FATA. Access and security should also be
provided to media so that they can enter FATA freely and better cover elections and
political parties.
6) FATA elite should be stopped from working together with the State to prevent the free
operation of political activity in FATA.
7) All voter registration forms submitted prior to the announcement of elections must be
accepted and added to the voter list.
1
MQM and PTI party leaders from the agencies and frontier regions could not attend due to scheduling conflicts.
Their party leadership, however, did meet with the FATA Committee this week.
40 Recommendations for FATA Elections Reforms, 14 March 2013 2

3. 8) Public funds allocated to sitting MNAs must not be utilized for their election campaigns.
The Election Commission must enforce a ban on the use of these funds for campaign
purposes. FATA MNA and Senator funds should be used only for development schemes
and should not be misused for corrupt purposes.
FOR IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION
Elections Recommendations for ECP and Government
9) The 2011 Political Parties Order extension and Frontier Crimes Regulation amendments
are not being implemented properly by the political administration and the security
establishment. Implementation should be monitored and enforced by the government.
10) Political parties should be given free and open access and also necessary security to travel
to and operate in FATA.
11) To ensure increased women’s participation in elections, women’s polling stations should
be provided in all agencies and frontier regions.
12) Polling stations should be no more than 2km from voters’ homes to increase political
participation in FATA.
13) Security should be ensured at all polling stations and no polling station should be shifted
after being previously established or announced.
14) FATA voters should have access to polling stations in their own village and not be forced
to travel to another village to participate in elections.
15) The political parties Code of Conduct published by the Election Commission of Pakistan
must also apply to elections in FATA.
16) The ECP must monitor the free and fair administration of elections in FATA.
17) The ECP should make regulations specifically for free and fair elections in FATA.
18) Judicial officers should be deployed as returning officers in general elections.
19) The political agent should support the participation of all FATA society in political
activity and the upcoming general elections.
20) All FATA IDPs should be provided the right to vote in the location of their displacement,
regardless if they are living in camps or in host communities.
21) IDPs from all frontier regions should be officially recognized by the government and also
given the right to vote in the location of their displacement.
22) FATA should also be represented in the federal cabinet of the caretaker government set-up.
23) International observers should be given permission to monitor elections in FATA.
24) The political agent must not show favoritism toward any political party candidate or any
independent candidate.
25) The governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must not interfere in or influence elections in FATA.
40 Recommendations for FATA Elections Reforms, 14 March 2013 3

4. 26) All of these recommendations should be implemented and enforced immediately, prior to
the day of general elections 2013.
FOR IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION
Elections Recommendations for Parties, Civil Society, Media and International Community
27) Political parties should include FATA democracy and FATA reforms in their national
party manifestoes for general elections.
28) Political awareness remains low throughout FATA. Government, political parties, civil
society and the international community should work together to educate FATA citizens
about the political process.
29) Many journalists are “for sale”, intimidated and pressured by the State and security
establishment. To decrease this corruption and biased reporting, more private media
should be given increased access and security in FATA.
30) The government and the Election Commission should investigate journalists who are
blackmailing political agents and/or political parties.
31) National and international media should send their own independent journalists to FATA
and ensure that they report accurately and in-depth on local problems and news in FATA.
32) The United Nations and other international organizations should make public statements
about the lack of human and political rights in FATA.
FOR IMPLEMENTATION AFTER ELECTIONS
Recommendations for the President, new National Assembly and Political Administration
33) Further amendments to the Frontier Crimes Regulation are needed.
34) Reserved MNA seats for FATA women should be established, giving them the same
special representation as in the rest of Pakistan.
35) The frontier regions constituency NA-47 is too large and too spread out for effective
representation. The constituency should be divided on the basis of population.
36) Increased CNIC and voter registration efforts are sorely needed in FATA. NADRA
should deploy mobile registration vans: as many and as soon as possible.
37) Blocked CNICs of FATA citizens should be unblocked with the approval of tribal elders.
38) Corruption by political agents must be investigated and stopped. Political agent
appointments are “for sale” in FATA and this practice must be stopped.
39) Political agents should expedite the issuance of birth, death, marriage and disability
certificates to FATA citizens. These services are very poorly administered and must be
improved.
40) The army is part of the problem, not part of the solution. The security establishment
should stop its involvement with terrorist and militant organizations.
40 Recommendations for FATA Elections Reforms, 14 March 2013 4

5. These recommendations will be submitted for immediate consideration and action to the new
caretaker government as well as the President of Pakistan, the Election Commission, NADRA,
the SAFRON Ministry, the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the FATA Secretariat.
Unlike the rest of Pakistan, FATA voters do not enjoy the same legislative representation or
accountability as other Pakistani citizens. This is true because Article 247 of the Constitution of
the Islamic Republic of Pakistan prevents FATA MNAs (and all members of the National
Assembly) from legislating for FATA. Despite this restriction on political rights and until the
situation is corrected, FATA citizens still deserve MNAs that represent their needs and desires
for democratic development and an improved standard of living.
As they prepare to participate in the first party-based elections in FATA history, national and
tribal political party leaders emphasized the urgent need for elections reforms in FATA.
Following the extension of the Political Parties Order, political parties are seeking election in the
tribal areas for the first time in history. As general elections approach, political party candidates
are actively preparing their campaigns for MNA seats to represent FATA voters in the National
Assembly of Pakistan.
With complete support from political party leadership, 11 political parties are represented on the
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
Party (PkMAP), Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-
Azam (PML), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Qaumi Watan
Party (QWP).
In 2010, the Political Parties Joint Committee on FATA Reforms began working together to
demonstrate their shared commitment to promoting debate throughout Pakistan and to call for
the implementation of reforms in the tribal areas. Today, the 11 member parties of the FATA
Committee continue to engage in discussions with stakeholders from FATA to build consensus,
increase awareness and promote dialogue on existing and future reforms.
March 17, 2013 FATA Committee News Release Photos (high resolution)
FATA Elections Reforms Needed Now http://goo.gl/JgLM1
English: http://goo.gl/8eA29
Urdu: http://goo.gl/R2Sxc Contact
fataparties@gmail.com
December 27, 2012 Recommendations to ECP http://twitter.com/FATAparties
Five Consensus Elections Reforms http://facebook.com/FATAparties
English: http://goo.gl/ObTUD
Urdu: http://goo.gl/QhAA1
40 Recommendations for FATA Elections Reforms, 14 March 2013 5

6. FATA Committee Party Spokesperson Contacts
ANP
Arbab Tahir, General Secretary, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 0333-939-3223, arbab@anp.org
JI
Mohammad Ibrahim, Professor and Provincial Ameer, muhammadibrahimk5@gmail.com
JUI-F
Abdul Jalil Jan, Information Secretary, KP, 0333-910-7831, abduljalil_jan@yahoo.com
MQM
Syed Asif Hasnain, MNA, 0300-927-7831, asifhasnain_255@yahoo.com
NP
Mukhtar Bacha, Provincial President, KP, 0333-910-7133, mukhtarbacha@gmail.com
PkMAP
Akram Shah Khan, Central Secretary General
PML
Ajmal Khan Wazir, Central Senior Vice President, 0300-579-1779, ajmalkwazir@gmail.com
PML-N
Rehmat Salam Khattak, General Secretary, KP, 0300-589-3705, pmlnkpk@gmail.com
PPP
Mirza M. Jihadi, Advisor SAFRON, 0300-598-4198, mirzamohdjihad@hotmail.com
PTI
Barrister Salman Afridi, Political Strategy Committee KP, 0345-888-6994, salmanafridi@hotmail.com
QWP
Asad Afridi, President, FATA, 0333-937-5165, asadafridi18@yahoo.com
Complete FATA Committee Member List: http://goo.gl/K0FCJ (click and scroll down)
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