KHAR: Local leaders of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl on Friday called for building a consensus among political parties, tribal elders and other stakeholders on the 22nd Constitutional Amendment Bill presented in the National Assembly by Fata parliamentarians.

`The leadership of all the political parties and tribal lawmakers should come forward and build a consensus among all the stakeholders of tribal areas on the proposed 22nd Constitutional Amendment Bill as some elements are trying to make the bill controversial,` said the JUI-F local leader and former senator Maulana Abdur Rasheed while speaking at a press conference here.

Flanked by his party workers, he said that the bill, forthe merger of Fata into KP, was an important step for provision of constitutional rights to the people of tribal areas.

However, he said that lack of consultation with the political parties and tribal elders by the Fata parliamentarians before malcing the decision had been causing misunderstandings.

He said that it was the moral responsibility of tribal lawmakers to take the major stakeholders into conndence before submitting the bill. He said that consultations with leaders of political parties and tribal elders across Fata over the bill were not only important for building the consensus, but also for the smooth passage of bill in the parliament.

He said that had the Fata legislators been sincere intheir job they would have taken people from different walks of life into confidence about the bill meant to amend Article 247 of the Constitution.

Mr Rasheed urged the Fata lawmakers to arrange meetings with leaders and notables from all walks of life across the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and take them into confidence about the salient features of the amendment bill.

He stated that his party would support the bill and wanted to build consensus on the issue. He claimed that the JUI-F had decided to organise consultative meetings with tribal elders across Fata to tell them about the positive impact of the bill. Answering a question, he said that such meetings would be held soon after Eidul Azha.Correspondent