Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain has signed legislation that merges the country's tribal regions with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and therefore grants some 5 million people in the regions the same rights as other Pakistanis.

Hussain signed the law in Islamabad on May 31.

The bill had previously been passed by the lower and upper houses of parliament as well as the assembly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the necessary two-thirds majority.

The legislation rids the northwestern tribal areas of what were seen as discriminatory laws under which those regions have been governed since the colonial rule of Britain.

Pakistan was granted independence from London in 1947.

The Federaly Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) include seven territorial agencies: Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan. They are mainly rugged, mountainous areas along the border with Afghanistan.

Pakistan's government, led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, formally steps down on May 31, the end of its five-year term.

Parliamentary elections will be held on July 25 and a new government formed afterwards.

Based on reporting by AP and Thenews.com.pk</s>ISLAMABAD: A bill on the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas ( FATA ) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has been forwarded to Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain , a media report said on Wednesday.According to Dawn News, the Senate received the bill from the Ministry of Law and Justice after it was passed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly. Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani authenticated the bill and sent it to the President for assent under Article 75 of the Constitution.The bill has already been passed by the National Assembly and the Senate with a two-thirds majority.</s>The final step in the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was completed on Thursday, as President Mamnoon Hussain signed the 25th Constitutional Amendment Bill into law.

The bill, approved by parliament as well as the KP Assembly, was signed by the president at a special ceremony also attended by KP Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, head of Fata Reforms Committee Sartaj Aziz and National Security Adviser Nasir Janjua.

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani had forwarded the bill to the president on Tuesday.

The Senate of Pakistan had received the bill from the Ministry of Law and Justice after its passage from the KP's provincial assembly on May 28.

Accordingly, the Senate chairman had authenticated the bill and sent it to the president for assent under Article 75 of the Constitution.

President Mamnoon Hussain felicitated the people of Fata, saying that now they also enjoy the same rights available to other citizens of the country.

He expressed hope that after the merger with KP, Fata will enter a new era of development and prosperity. The president also expressed the hope that the move would bring greater stability to the region.

The constitutional amendment bill seeking the merger of Fata within a year's time had been passed by the National Assembly and the Senate last week amidst opposition by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.</s>The final step in the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was completed on Thursday, after President Mamnoon Hussain signed the 25th Constitutional Amendment Bill into law.

 The bill, approved by parliament as well as the KP Assembly, was signed by the president at a special ceremony. Governor KP Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, head of the FATA Reform Committee Sartaj Aziz, National Security Advisor Lt Gen (Retd) Nasir Khan Janjua and Prime Minister’s Adviser Barrister Zafarullah Khan witnessed the inking of the historic document.

 Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani had forwarded the bill to the president on Tuesday. The Senate of Pakistan had received the bill from the Ministry of Law and Justice after its passage from the KP’s provincial assembly on May 28. Accordingly, the Senate chairman had authenticated the bill and sent it to the president for assent under Article 75 of the Constitution.

 President Mamnoon Hussain felicitated the people of Fata, saying that now they also enjoy the same rights available to other citizens of the country.

 He expressed hope that after the merger with KP, Fata will enter a new era of development and prosperity. The president also expressed the hope that the move would bring greater stability to the region.

 The constitutional amendment bill seeking the merger of Fata within a year’s time had been passed by the National Assembly and the Senate last week amidst opposition by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.

 The Head of the FATA Reforms Committee Sartaj Aziz said following the constitutional amendment the people of the federally administered tribal areas were now mainstreamed and would enjoy equal rights like other citizens of the country.

 He said all the agencies of FATA would now convert into districts and the assistant political agents would now serve as deputy commissioners. He said Rs1 trillion would be spent on the development of the area over a period of next ten years.

 He said of this 25% of the amount would be spent through the local bodies for development of infrastructure in health, education, roads, communications and other projects. He expressed the hope that following the merger the law and order would also be improved.</s>ISLAMABAD - President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday signed the 31st Constitutional Amendment that completes the process of historic merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The President, who signed the bill to make it a law during a simple ceremony held at the Aiwan-e- Sadr, congratulated the people of tribal region on becoming part of the province.

The President expressed the confidence that merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would lead to stability in the region.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Barrister Zafarullah and National Security Advisor Nasser Khan Janjua.

The move comes hours before the incumbent government is scheduled to end its five-year term.

After securing two-thirds majority from both the National Assembly and the Senate, the bill was also passed by KP Assembly on May 27 with 92-7 votes amid protests.

Proposed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the bill aims at speeding up of mainstreaming the tribal areas. The bill received staunch opposition from the ruling party’s strongest allies, Jamiat Ulema-e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP).

The Senate of Pakistan had received the bill from the Ministry of Law and Justice after its passage from the KP’s provincial assembly on May 28. Accordingly, the Senate chairman had authenticated the bill and sent it to the president for assent under Article 75 of the Constitution.

Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Pervez Khattak has written a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) requesting that the procedure for provincial assembly elections in KP be devised and outlined in time so that elections in former Fata region are held along with the general elections.

He pointed out that any delay in the provincial assembly elections will give birth to complex issues.

“It is the right of the people of Fata and their chosen representatives be given the opportunity to contest for the posts of Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Chief Minister,” Khattak asserted.

If elections do not take place timely in the Fata region, the provincial assembly shall stand incomplete, he said.

Former Chief Minister Khattak urged that just as the Fata-KP merger was an area of concern deserving enormous attention, the matter of provincial assembly elections in Fata merits scrutiny with utmost urgency.</s>Islamabad: Pakistan president Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday signed a key constitutional amendment bill to merge the restive tribal regions along the Afghan border with the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, bringing an end to the 150-year-old British-era arrangement.

The bill was passed by the National Assembly, the Senate and KP Assembly before being sent to the president for formal approval.

After signing the bill, the president congratulated the people of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Geo TV reported.

The bill amends several articles of the Constitution, including Article 1 that defines the territory of Pakistani federation. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who played a key role in bringing consensus to pass the amendment in the National Assembly, had said that it will "change 150-year-old system in the tribal areas."

These seven districts are home to some eight million residents, mainly ethnic Pashtuns.

Pakistan forces launched repeated military operations to clear the area of rebels and dismantle their hideouts which were used to launch attacks in the country and Afghanistan.</s>President Mamnoon Hussain has signed a legislation that merges the country’s tribal regions with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Through the legislation, the government has granted some 5 million people in the regions the same rights as other Pakistanis.

President Mamnoon Hussain signed the 31st Constitutional Amendment at a ceremony in Islamabad on Thursday.

The President has congratulated people of the tribal region on becoming part of the province.

Mamnoon Hussain expressed the confidence that merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would lead to stability in the region.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Barrister Zafarullah and National Security Advisor Nasser Khan Janjua.</s>Islamabad, June 1 (IANS) Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday signed a constitutional bill to merge the country’s northwest tribal areas with the northwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the media reported.

The President signed the 25th constitutional amendment bill at a ceremony, following which the seven districts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) have now officially become part of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The seven areas of the FATA, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, will now be called districts. The FATA had seven territorial agencies, including Bajaur, Khyber, Orakzai, Mohmand, Kurram, North Waziristan and South Waziristan.

Earlier this month, the National Assembly and the Senate, the lower and upper houses of the parliament, and Khyber-Pakhtumkhwa Assembly passed the bill with the required two-thirds majority and sent the bill to the president for final approval.

On the occasion, the president congratulated the people of the tribal region on becoming part of the province. He hoped that the merger would lead to stability in the region and welfare of the people.

The merger will bring the formerly lawless tribal areas under the jurisdiction of the country’s laws and will give over five million people of the region the same rights as other Pakistanis have.

People of the region will be given representation in the provincial assembly of KP and they will continue to have their representation in the lower and upper houses of the parliament. Under the amendment, total 21 additional provincial assembly seats will be provided to the area.

The Frontier Crimes Regulation that was devised by the British colonial government to control the area has also been finished.

Important taxes, including customs duty and income tax, were not applicable in the tribal areas in the past, but now all taxes will become applicable in the regions. However, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had promised that the regions will be given a tax holiday for five years.</s>ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain has signed the 25th constitutional amendment bill authenticating the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The bill has already been passed by the National Assembly and the Senate with a two-thirds majority.

The president congratulated the people of FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the merger.

However, the Constitution (Thiry-First) Amendment Bill that would dissolve the Article 247 is not signed by the president yet. Article 247 extends the authority of federation to the FATA and PATA (Provincially Administered Tribal Areas).

On Monday, President Mamnoon had signed the FATA Interim Governance Regulation 2018.

The regulation is a set of interim rules for FATA until it merges with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The KP government would be handed over the control of FATA Interim Governance Regulation, 2018 until the president dissolves the Article 247.</s>ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain Thursday signed the 31st Constitutional Amendment at a ceremony in Islamabad and as a consequence tribal areas have become part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The president has congratulated people of the tribal region on becoming part of the province. He expressed the confidence that merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would lead to stability in the region.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Barrister Zafarullah and National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua.
Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain signs into law the official merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administrative province.