Jacob-j-Lew US Deputy Secretary, FATA Secretariat and CSOs of FATA

By Zar Ali Khan Musazai The money provided to Pakistan under the Kerry-Lugar Bill will not go directly to the Government of Pakistan. This was reported in a Pakistani newspaper few days ago. Jacop- j- Lew, US Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources who recently visited Pakistan and NWFP (Pashtunkhwa) Province is said to have uttered these words. Jacob should also know that money given to Islamabad as aid by the US for development of FATA is eaten up by bureaucracy sitting in Islamabad and FATA Secretariat with both hands as this fund is meant as a bounty for them. This fund is ruthlessly embezzled and will yield no positive result in elimination of terrorism and extremism from FATA and its development and prosperity. There are big crocodiles in FATA who are eating the flesh and sucking the blood of Pashtun tribesmen and tribeswomen. Americans will be thinking that they spent million and million of dollars for development of FATA but on ground the lot of tribal has not yet changed and they see no result on ground. Most chunk of the American fund goes to the account of the organizations working against Americans and their plan to develop FATA and make lives of tribesmen pleasant. There are reports that those organizations and individuals working to strengthening militancy in FATA are the blue eyed- Children of FATA Secretariat while those organizations and individuals who are really secular and anti-militants in FATA are intentionally discouraged and are given nothing. Such organizations and their representatives are the enemies of FATA Secretariat. We do not know whose Agenda is being promoted there by this secretariat? We have clear and clean Agenda to promote peace and develop in FATA and eliminate militancy from there. Our organizations are discouraged why? We pose the question as to why FATA Secretariat is funneled so much huge fund which unfortunately is not spent there in a proper way. FATA Secretariat spends all American funds on the employees of FATA and their security apparently due to fear of the militants while all militants belong to them and will never harm them. They just embezzle the money of American people. There is a leading network of the FATA NGOs namely Tribal Development Forum(TDF) working to promote peace in FATA and develop the area has been neglected and there are reports from inside of FATA Secretariat to discourage it and exert pressure to dismantle it. FATA has been neglected since long and as for as Pakistani state is concerned has done nothing good for FATA and its inhabitants. This establishment has no good intentions there. This was kept in dark intentionally and even today this Pakistani cannibal establishment has been using it and its people. Now a day it is an established fact that Civil Society Organizations in our region face many many problems and the lives of people working in such organizations are under threat and Damocles sword has been hanging over their heads all the times. I am talking of those organizations working in settled districts of NWFP (Pashtunkhwa) province. If we talk about those organizations which are FATA based and native then the situations are quite different and their condition is really alarming and such organizations and their staff have innumerable problems before them. We all know that Civil Society Organizations are the best tools to mobilize the society and work hard to promote pluralism, democracy and educate people to let them know as to who are they and what are their rights?. But as for as FATA and those FATA based organizations concerned are, to be praised as working there is a Herculean task and one has to burn mid-night oil for it. Almost all FATA based native organizations are so poor and resource starved that even they have hardly to pay salaries of their staff. But still these organizations are determined to work in FATA to promote peace and see development there. If some one including US wants to promote peace in FATA and witness a change in lives of the people in FATA then they will have to take the Civil Society Organizations of FATA into confidence and rid them of from crocodiles sitting in Islamabad and FATA Secretariat who have no interest to see a peaceful and developed FATA. If genuine demands of our organizations are not accepted then TDF will take this issue to streets and will demonstrate for the rights of FATA People and right. We will welcome closure of FATA Secretariat fund by US and strongly demand of US not to release it until Crocodiles are purged out from FATA Secretariat. (The writer is a Political and Social worker and Spokesman of Tribal Development Forum (TDF) and can be reached on his cell: 0301-5963337, +92-525304) - بېرته شاته