A session of the parliamentary leaders chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday finally agreed to amend the Constitution for the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, media reports said.
The amendment bill for the merger is expected to be presented to the National Assembly on Thursday (today).
Wednesday’s session was attended by Barrister Zafarullah, Senate Opposition leader Sherry Rehman, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Sherpao.
The government’s coalition partners who have been opposing the merger – Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party – boycotted the session.
On Tuesday, the amendment was approved by the Federal cabinet in a session presided over by the prime minister.
The seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will increase to 147 from the current 126 after its merger with FATA, according to the proposed 30th Amendment to the Constitution.
The general seats of the provincial assembly will increase from 99 to 117, the bills states. Moreover, the seats for women will be increased from 22 to 26, while religious minorities’ will get an additional seat, increasing their tally from three to four.
The KP Assembly had adopted a resolution on December 14, 2016, in favour of the merger with the aim of rehabilitating and reconstructing the region’s infrastructure including roads, communications, power lines, water supply, education and health facilities.
In a meeting on December 26, 2017, the federal cabinet had approved the formation of a high-level national implementation committee for FATA reforms.
Published in Daily Times, May 24th 2018.
