FATA merger likely to be presented before NA on Wednesday: sources
May 21, 2018
ISLAMABAD: An amendment bill for the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is expected to be presented to the National Assembly on Wednesday, said sources.
The drafting of the bill was completed on Monday, following which, the government and opposition instructed their members to ensure attendance in Wednesday's session, informed sources.
The seats for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly will increase to 147 from the current 126 after its merger with Federally Administered Tribal Areas, according to the proposed 30th Amendment of the Constitution.
The amendment, which would serve as a means to merge FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, will be presented before National Assembly's Standing Committee for Law and Justice for approval today.
The general seats of the provincial assembly will increase from 99 to 117, the bills states. Moreover, the seats for women have been increased from 22 to 26, while religious minorities’ seats from three to four.
According to the sub-section of the bill, FATA will be granted 18 general seats, four seats for women and one for religious minority.
Moreover, FATA’s 12 seats in National Assembly will be merged in KP Assembly and KP seats will increase from 48 to 60 in the National Assembly.
NSC throws weight behind FATA-KP merger
The National Security Committee (NSC) chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday evening had endorsed FATA's merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along with the introduction of the administrative, judicial institutional structures and laws of the province, said a communique issued after the meeting.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, the chiefs of Armed Forces, Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) among others were in attendance.
FATA reforms
Participants of the NSC meeting had directed the concerned ministries to work out the constitutional, legal and administrative modalities for the merger in consultation with all parties in the Parliament.
The communique said: "Committee also endorsed the provision of additional well-monitored development funds for the FATA region during the next ten years, with the stipulation that these funds would not be re-appropriated to any other area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa."
In the second NSC meeting called during the week, the participants expressed satisfaction on the principled stand taken by Pakistan on Kashmir and Palestine and its articulation at various world forums
