SWABI: Opposing the federal government`s plan to merge Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has remained stick to his demand about holding referendum to decide future status of tribal areas.

Talking to journalists during his visit to the district here on Sunday, he said that government should find durable and peaceful solution to the issue of Fata that was acceptable to all the stakeholders, especially tribal peopleand members of their jirga.

JUI-F has opposed the government`s decision about the future of Fata despite the fact that the party is a coalition partner of PML-N at federallevel.

The JUI-F chief said that they continued consultation with the jirga of Fata to find out a valuable solution to the issue instead of taking such a step that was not acceptable to tribal people. `It fact, it is high time for all stakeholders to avoid confrontation and confusion,` he added.

Mr Rehman said that their reservations about the cabinet`s decision on mainstreaming of Fata proved correct when tribal senators and MNAs opposed the reforms package and demanded reversal of the decision.

He said that his party adopted a principled stand on the issue. Headded that the people, who criticised policy of JUI-F, lacked knowledge about tribal belt and nature of its people as they were looking for temporary solutions instead of durable ones.

To a question, the JUI-F chief said that it was stand of their party that tribal people should be consulted and taken on board on the issue of merger of Fata with the province.

He said that Pakistan and Afghanistan should resolve their problems through consultations.

He said that the neighbouring countries should hold talks to break the stalemate because it was in the interest of both the countries. `They (Afghanistan and Pakistan) should work for improving their relations instead of harming each other,` he added.

Speaking on the occasion, JUI-Fdistrict chief Attaul H ag Darvaish said that federal government failed to consult properly with tribal people, Fata parliamentarians and their jirga.

JI: The local leaders of Jamaati-Islami said here on Sunday that federal government should expedite the process of merger of Fata with the province. Mahmoodul Hassan, the district chief of JI, told a meeting that federal cabinet approved on March 2 the recommendations of Fata reforms committee and decided to merge tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The merger, he said, would change the fate of the tribal areas that could not be brought into mainstream by successive governments. He said that Fata reforms would enable tribal people to play role in progress of the country.