Cabinet approves Fata merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

islamabad — The federal cabinet on Thursday approved the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to bring the impoverished and politically deprived tribal region at par with the rest of the country.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the cabinet which approved in principle the recommendations of the Fata Reforms Committee.

The six-member committee headed by PM’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz recommended that Fata should be made part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Fata is a semi-autonomous tribal region in northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan. It consists of seven tribal agencies (districts) and six frontier regions, and are directly governed by Pakistan’s federal government.

According to the plan, colonial era draconian laws known as the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) will be replaced.

The proposed merger would be carried out over a period of five years and a 10-year development package would be introduced for the entire Fata.

The cabinet not only approved the plan but also agreed to set up courts, allocate additional funds and build infrastructure in the tribal region. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stressed the need for focusing on development of underdeveloped areas for improving the living standards of the people, Radio Pakistan reported.

“Time has come that the tribal people will be brought into the mainstream to end their sense of deprivation,” the report quoted him as saying. Sharif said due shares will be given from the national resources to Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and Fata people.

The premier said, “Pakistan belongs to every single Pakistani” and each should have equal opportunity to prosper without any discrimination.

He mentioned the patriotism and nationalism of the people of Fata and said their history was filled with examples of love with Pakistan.

“They gave immense sacrifices for the defence and sovereignty of Pakistan. The time has come to include them in national mainstream and address their deprivation,” he said.

He stressed the need to promote the spirit of nationalism for the country’s solidarity and include all parts of country to benefit from the fruits of progress.

“It is our responsibility to focus more on under-developed areas and provide opportunities to the locals to progress in different fields of life,” he said. — PTI, APP