The Senate today passed The Constitution Amendment Bill, 2018 with two thirds majority paving the way for merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).

It was moved by Law Minister Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk. Seventy-one members voted in favour of the amendment while five against it. The constitution amendment was passed by the National Assembly yesterday with two thirds majority.

According to the amendment, the number of seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will increase to 145 from 124. FATA will be granted sixteen general seats, four seats for women and one seat for non-Muslims in the provincial assembly. Elections to these seats shall be held within one year after the general elections 2018.

The amendment reduces the number of seats in the National Assembly from three hundred forty-two to three hundred and thirty-six. The members of the National Assembly from FATA to be elected in 2018 election shall continue till dissolution of the Lower House.

According to the constitution amendment, the number of seats of Senate has been reduced to ninety-six from one hundred and four. The existing members of the Senate from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas shall continue till expiry of their respective terms of office.

The constitution amendment also envisages amendments in article 246 and repeals article 247 which place the tribal areas under the command and control of President.

In his remarks on the occasion, the chair congratulated the tribal people over the passage of the bill, saying it will bring them to the national mainstream. He said the Upper House today fulfilled its responsibility and the promises made with the tribal people.

Leader of the Opposition Sherry Rehman described the constitution amendment on FATA’s merger as a historic step in the country’s history. She said this will bring the tribal areas to the fold of constitution. She pointed out that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has a very important role in the whole transition process. She expressed the confidence that women from tribal areas will also be involved in the decision making.

Speaking on the constitution amendment, Mian Raza Rabbani said that tribal people have rendered immense sacrifices in the war on terror. He said the valiant people of tribal areas have always demonstrated their patriotism and love to the country for which they deserve our appreciation.

Azam Swati in his remarks said that the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will help free the tribal areas from the clutches of decades old system. He said this initiative will usher a new era of development in the tribal agencies.

Siraj ul Haq said that the merger will prove to the beneficial both for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. He said this will increase the share of the province in the National Finance Commission.

Maulana Ghafoor Haideri of JUI (F) opposed the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.</s>Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan's lower house of Parliament has passed a landmark constitutional amendment extending widespread political, administrative and human rights reforms to the country's northwestern tribal areas, a region that had long been a sanctuary to armed groups.

The constitutional amendment, passed by the National Assembly in the capital, Islamabad, on Thursday, sees the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.

It effectively abolishes draconian colonial-era regulations that the districts had been governed under for decades, making its five million citizens equal citizens of the Pakistani federation.

The amendment will now be presented to the upper house of Parliament and the KP provincial assembly, where it is expected to pass without fuss, before becoming law.

"We needed a national consensus on this issue, and it was achieved," said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi after the bill was passed.

"This is the start of a process, not the end of one. We need to gain the trust of the people of FATA, and that trust will not come just through words ... but the biggest need right now is the lack of development in FATA needs to be addressed. [...] We have to give the people of FATA the same schools, the same colleges, the same universities, the same hospitals, the same roads and the system as is available to everyone else in Pakistan. There should be no difference there."

FATA, once the headquarters of the Pakistan Taliban and a sanctuary for al-Qaeda, has seen a series of Pakistani military operations launched since 2008 to retake the area from armed groups. The last such operation was launched in 2014, displacing the Taliban from the North Waziristan tribal district.

The United States and Afghanistan allege that Pakistan still provides sanctuary to armed groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network, a charge that Pakistan denies.

Since Pakistan gained independence from the British in 1947, the country has continued to govern the seven tribal districts along its border with Afghanistan by direct rule from the capital, with each district ruled by a "Political Agent" (PA) appointed by the president.

The PA holds nearly absolute power in their tribal districts, where they are responsible for all government services, as well as serving judicial functions.

The constitutional amendment sees all seven districts merged into northwestern KP province, with political agents replaced by an accompanying extension of the provincial and federal government's power to deliver government services, including healthcare, education and policing.

All Pakistani laws, including criminal and penal codes, have been extended to the tribal districts, which earlier were governed under colonial-era criminal regulations.

FATA's five million citizens will also have access to fundamental rights under the Constitution, and will be able to vote for representatives in the provincial and national assemblies.

The amendment effectively abolishes the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), a draconian British law that left citizens of the tribal areas with no recourse to courts and liable to be subjected to collective punishment for the crimes of tribe members.

Opposition backs bill

Introducing reforms to FATA has long been a priority for the country's government, led by the ruling PML-N party, which has lauded the passage of the constitutional amendment as a landmark achievement.

Thursday's vote was the culmination of a legislative and consultative process that lasted more than two years. The government is due to complete its term by May 31, with the national and provincial assemblies to dissolve a day later, in advance of a general election in late July.

Last year, the federal cabinet passed a plan to introduce the reforms, but the passage of the constitutional amendment was held up by opposition parties.

Some parties, such as the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), demanded a more detailed plan from the government, while others, including the right-wing religious Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) (JUI-F) demanded a referendum on the issue.

On Thursday, the PPP and PTI voted for the amendment, which was prepared in consultation with the opposition, while the JUI-F opposed the move. It was passed by 229-1 votes in the 342-member house.

"It is very gratifying that this house has come together to finally end a colonial system ... it was never acceptable that people in our country were second-class citizens, who ... did not have the same rights as us," said opposition PPP leader Naveed Qamar.

"The whole country will now be governed under the same rights and the same administrative systems."

PTI chief Imran Khan, whose party rules KP province, made a rare appearance in parliament to vote for the amendment.

The constitutional reforms will be accompanied by an $865m package to be allocated to a 10-year plan aimed at rehabilitating and reconstructing infrastructure, including communications, power lines, water supply schemes, education and health facilities in the tribal areas.

Pakistan's tribal areas consistently rank among the lowest on the country's human development indicators, according to UNDP data.

Most districts remain bereft of basic services such as healthcare, schools, clean water supply and, cut off from the country's mainstream, with no mobile phone service reception or internet availability.

The military operations, conducted over the last decade, forced most of the tribal areas' five million residents to become internally displaced within Pakistan. Many have not resettled in their homes, given the lack of basic services, and continuing security operations and military deployments in the region.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeera's Digital Correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim.</s>Pakistan passed legislation Thursday paving the way for its restive tribal areas to enter the mainstream political fold, bringing an ending to a colonial-era arrangement that endorsed collective punishment and fuelled militancy.

The constitutional amendment received broad support from across the political spectrum in the National Assembly, with 229 voting to approve the measure and one voting against it.

The legislation still needs final approval from the senate and the signature of the president — a formality that is all but guaranteed after receiving overwhelming support in the lower house.

The amendment will bring an end to colonial-era laws governing Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), extend the writ of Pakistani courts to its districts and increase development assistance to its residents.

“Today this house has approved a historic bill, which will have very positive effects for Pakistan. I thank the opposition for their support,” Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told legislators after the vote.

Following the passage of the bill, FATA will be officially merged into neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Since the days of the British Raj, the territory has long been seen as a backwater ruled by hostile tribesman that was kept as a buffer zone between Afghanistan and the settled territories that became Pakistan.

Following the 9/11 attacks the tribal belt along the Afghan border became a notorious focal point in the global war on terror, with Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters operating in the area with impunity.

The US has repeatedly accused Pakistan of allowing the tribal areas to host safe havens harbouring militants fighting in Afghanistan — an allegation Islamabad has consistently denied.

FATA residents have long complained its development has been overlooked by authorities, while appointed administrators were able to punish whole tribes for the crimes of an individual.

“Pakistan’s tribal areas have long been neglected. The government has taken this decision very late,” Rahimullah Yusufzai, a regional analyst and an expert on the tribal areas, told AFP.

Yusufzai predicted that implementation of the amendment could take months as Pakistan prepares for elections due this summer, which would leave the reforms in the hands of the incoming government.

The new amendment was largely celebrated across the FATA.

Samiullah Jan, from South Waziristan district, said he hopes the tribal areas will see an increase in development aid.

The seven tribal districts — Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai and South Waziristan — are home to some eight million residents, mainly ethnic Pashtuns.</s>Pakistan passed legislation Thursday paving the way for its restive tribal areas to enter the mainstream political fold, bringing an ending to a colonial-era arrangement that endorsed collective punishment and fuelled militancy.

The constitutional amendment received broad support from across the political spectrum in the National Assembly, with 229 voting to approve the measure and one voting against it.

The legislation still needs final approval from the senate and the signature of the president — a formality that is all but guaranteed after receiving overwhelming support in the lower house.

The amendment will bring an end to colonial-era laws governing Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), extend the writ of Pakistani courts to its districts and increase development assistance to its residents.

“Today this house has approved a historic bill, which will have very positive effects for Pakistan. I thank the opposition for their support,” Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told legislators after the vote.

“We need to provide (FATA residents) with all those facilities which are available to the people in the rest of Pakistan,” he added.

Following the passage of the bill, FATA will be officially merged into neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Since the days of the British Raj, the territory has long been seen as a backwater ruled by hostile tribesman that was kept as a buffer zone between Afghanistan and the settled territories that became Pakistan.

Following the 9/11 attacks the tribal belt along the Afghan border became a notorious focal point in the global war on terror, with Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters operating in the area with impunity.

The US has repeatedly accused Pakistan of allowing the tribal areas to host safe havens harbouring militants fighting in Afghanistan — an allegation Islamabad has consistently denied.

FATA residents have long complained its development has been overlooked by authorities, while appointed administrators were able to punish whole tribes for the crimes of an individual.

“Pakistan’s tribal areas have long been neglected. The government has taken this decision very late,” Rahimullah Yusufzai, a regional analyst and an expert on the tribal areas, told AFP.

Yusufzai predicted that implementation of the amendment could take months as Pakistan prepares for elections due this summer, which would leave the reforms in the hands of the incoming government.

The move was largely welcomed across the FATA.

Samiullah Jan, from South Waziristan district, said he hopes the tribal areas will see an increase in development aid.

The vote was also trending on Twitter in Pakistan, with social media users lauding the decision.

“Salute the political leadership for coming together on this. Proud moment!,” wrote Nizamuddin Khan.

The seven tribal districts — Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai and South Waziristan — are home to some five million residents, mainly ethnic Pashtuns.

The decision comes as a new rights movement emanating from FATA has accused Pakistan’s military establishment of using the territory to nurture militant groups fighting in Afghanistan, while overseeing a campaign of extrajudicial killings and abductions targeting tribesmen.</s>Pakistan passed legislation Thursday paving the way for its restive tribal areas, long a focal point in the global war on terror, to enter the political mainstream, ending a colonial-era arrangement that endorsed collective punishment and fuelled militancy.

The constitutional amendment would see the semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the border with Afghanistan officially merged into neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

It will extend the writ of Pakistani courts to its districts, and increase development assistance to residents of the region which Washington has long insisted provides safe havens to militants including the Taliban and Al Qaeda -- an allegation that Islamabad denies.

The amendment received broad support from across the political spectrum in the National Assembly, with 229 voting to approve the measure and one voting against it.

Another 10 abstained, according to state media.

The legislation still needs final approval from the senate and the signature of the president -- a formality that is all but guaranteed after receiving overwhelming support in the lower house.

"Today this house has approved a historic bill, which will have very positive effects for Pakistan. I thank the opposition for their support," Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told legislators after the vote.

"We need to provide (FATA residents) with all those facilities which are available to the people in the rest of Pakistan," he added.

"Pakistan's tribal areas have long been neglected. The government has taken this decision very late," Rahimullah Yusufzai, a regional analyst and an expert on the tribal areas, told AFP.

Yusufzai predicted that implementation of the amendment could take months as Pakistan prepares for elections due this summer, which would leave the reforms in the hands of the incoming government.

Since the days of the British Raj, the territory has long been seen as a backwater ruled by hostile tribesmen and kept as a buffer zone between Afghanistan and the settled territories that became Pakistan.

Following the 9/11 attacks the tribal belt along the Afghan border became a notorious terrorism flashpoint, with Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters operating in the area with impunity.

The US has repeatedly accused Pakistan of allowing the tribal areas to host safe havens for militants fighting in Afghanistan -- an allegation Islamabad has consistently denied.

The Pakistani military has carried out multiple operations in the region and insists it has eradicated militancy. It is also building a fence along the border with Afghanistan.

But FATA residents have long complained its development has been overlooked by authorities, while appointed administrators were able to punish whole tribes for the crimes of an individual under draconian colonial-era laws.

The move was largely welcomed across the FATA.

"It's a historic day, I am more than happy," said Malik Zarnoor Afridi of Khyber tribal district.

Samiullah Jan, from South Waziristan district, said he hopes the tribal areas will see an increase in development aid.

"They will get quality education, quality health care, roads, electricity, gas and economic opportunities," said Jan.

However small pockets of resistance remained, with some calling for FATA to become its own separate province.

"We will lose our cultural norms and traditions because of this merger," Ahmed Saeed, local leader of a religious party in North Waziristan, told AFP.

The vote was also trending on Twitter in Pakistan, with social media users lauding the decision.

"Salute the political leadership for coming together on this. Proud moment!," wrote Nizamuddin Khan.

The seven tribal districts -- Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai and South Waziristan -- are home to some five million residents, mainly ethnic Pashtuns.

The decision comes as a new rights movement emanating from FATA has accused Pakistan's military establishment of using the territory to nurture militant groups fighting in Afghanistan, while overseeing a campaign of extrajudicial killings and abductions targeting tribesmen.</s>Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) Pakistan has abolished its troubled northwest tribal areas in a historic parliamentary bill granting rights to millions of conflict-weary people and scrapping a draconian colonial-era regime.

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were merged into the country's administrative mainstream, becoming part of the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, by a parliamentary amendment approved by the senate on Friday.

Taliban fighters have used the Pakistani tribal areas as a refuge from the US-led coaltion since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.

Since Pakistan's creation in 1947, the tribal areas -- a rugged, impoverished swath bordering Afghanistan -- have been ruled directly by Islamabad under a harsh colonial-era system of law, with omnipotent political agents exercising the right to impose collective punishments on tribes and to jail suspects without trial.

During the US-led "War on Terror" it became a sanctuary for al Qaeda terrorists and Taliban militants fighting an insurgency against an international coalition in neighboring Afghanistan.

Former US President Barack Obama dubbed it the "most dangerous place in the world."

The Pakistani military has waged a series of major operations there in the past 10 years to tackle rising militancy.

For decades, reformers have called for the area to be brought into the administrative fold as it became increasingly lawless and opaque, with the military banning outsiders.

Speaking a day earlier to the National Assembly, where the bill was passed, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that "a much-needed national consensus (on FATA) has been achieved."

"The same schools, hospitals, roads that everyone else in Pakistan has access to" must now be given to the people of FATA, he added.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League Noon (PMLN) party announced that reforms would be accompanied by a $865 million package to rehabilitate the infrastructure of the region.

In the tribal areas, people came out onto the streets and distributed sweets to celebrate the reform.

Manzoor Ahmad, 31, from Mohmand tribal area, said that he was feeling free because "the black laws will be abolished."

"A day before we were living in the colonial age and now, today we are enjoying actual freedom. Now FATA will also participate in the development of Pakistan," he added.

Another resident said it will be like starting a new life.

"We were never considered human under the centuries-old colonial law. But now we will stand in front of the world and will show them that we also deserve to start our new life!" said Dilawar Shah, 40.

Opposition leader Imran Khan, whose political party runs KP's provincial government, called the move "a huge step to address the grievances of the people of FATA."

Recently, discontent has spilled out of the tribal areas, where years of war and violence have left villages destroyed and lives ruined by militant violence and heavy-handed government interference, particularly indiscriminate killing and arrests.

The area's people, the majority of whom are ethnic Pashtuns, or Pakhtuns, have begun to speak out against injustices committed by the powerful military, a normally taboo subject.

The establishment has been shocked by mass protests organized by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) -- "tahafuz" means protection in the Urdu language.

The movement -- which is committed to nonviolence -- is demanding authorities respond to accusations of involvement in the death and disappearance of hundreds of Pashtuns in FATA, and guarantee rights for the area's tribes.

Traditionally, the tribal areas were run by both political agents, using the harsh Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), and tribal chiefs, or maliks, presiding over tribal councils, jirgas.

The system was largely obliterated by militants who overran the areas during the allied invasion of Afghanistan, forcing out political agents and killing over 100 maliks.

The tribal areas are strongly patriarchal. Women's rights groups hope the new reforms will lead to a more equal society.

"With the FCR and the tribal jirga in place, the entire system in FATA was not at all women-friendly, there was no representation or voice of women being heard. With the passing of this bill one hopes that the invisibility of women won't be there anymore," said Samar Mina Ullah, an Islamabad-based women's rights activist who has worked extensively in FATA.

The reforms were welcomed as a popular measure across Pakistan. Analysts said the move was clearly timed to boost the ruling PLMN's chances at general elections scheduled to take place in July, but that they were long overdue.

"It is a huge victory for reform-oriented Pakistanis," said Mosharraf Zaidi, a prominent political analyst and columnist.

"The normalization of FATA will immediately alter the legal status of FATA's residents from compromised citizenship to normal, equal citizenship."

Zaidi added that credit was due to all those who cooperated to pass the landmark bill, including the military who have retaken militant-controlled territory in a series of operations since 2014.

However, the shadow of militancy still hangs over the region.

In February, US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats accused Pakistan of holding back on cooperation with the US while failing to take tougher action against militant groups.

President Donald Trump very publicly emphasized US concerns about Pakistan's reliability and integrity in his first tweet of 2018, putting Islamabad in the crosshairs for its "lies and deceit."

"They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help," he tweeted.

The online blast previewed a January 8 announcement that the US would freeze security assistance to Pakistan -- close to $1 billion -- over its failure to clamp down on terror groups within its borders.</s>Islamabad: In a historic move, Pakistan's National Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a key constitutional amendment to merge the restive tribal region along the Afghan border with the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, bringing an end to a 150-year-old British-era arrangement.

After months of delays following disagreements between coalition partners and the opposition over its clauses, Law Minister Mahmood Bashir Virk on Thursday tabled the 31st Amendment Bill 2017 to merge Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The amendment was passed with a 229-1 vote in the house of 342, as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was supported by Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Jamat-e-Islami.

Dawar Kundi from the PTI was the lone dissenting vote who opposed the bill.

Two allies of the government including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) staged a walkout.

The bill amends several Articles of the Constitution including Article 1 that defines the territory of the Pakistani federation.

The number of seats of parliament will decrease once the bill is passed. Senate seats will reduce from 104 to 96 members and the number of seats in the National Assembly will be cut to 336 from 342, as FATA will no longer have separate representation.

The bill will be sent to Senate, the upper house, which is expected to pass it before the end of the week. After this, the bill will be presented to the president who will sign it to become part of the Constitution.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who played a key role in bringing consensus to pass the amendment said in his address to the lawmakers that it was joint effort by all parties, which will "change the 150-year-old system in the tribal areas."

The semi-autonomous tribal region was created by British colonisers as a buffer zone to avoid direct conflict with Afghanistan.

It consists of seven districts — Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai and South Waziristan — which stretch along the border with Afghanistan, and became known in the world due to presence of militants who fled the porous border after US forces invaded Afghanistan post-9/11.

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 attack in the country and Afghanistan.</s>Pakistan's parliament has approved a constitutional amendment to officially merge its restive tribal areas into the mainstream political system, ending colonial-era laws and giving equal rights to its 5 million inhabitants.

The legislation passed on May 24 will attach Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, extend the jurisdiction of Pakistani courts to the region, and increase assistance to residents.

The legislation needs final approval from the Senate and the president’s signature -- seen as formalities after it received overwhelming support in the National Assembly.

Among the colonial-era laws that will be abolished are ones that called for the punishment of an entire tribe if one of its members were found guilty of a crime.

In the 19th century, British colonial rulers sliced out a mountainous region from Afghanistan to be run under a combination of civil laws and local traditions.

The special status continued after Pakistan gained its independence in 1947 to accommodate the wishes of tribesmen divided on either side of the border.

The territory has long been seen as a lawless backwater ruled by hostile tribesmen, left to serve as a buffer zone between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Pakistani army largely regained control of the region in 2014-15, ending much, but not all, of the violence.

The United States has accused Pakistan of allowing the areas to serve as safe havens for militants fighting across the border in Afghanistan, allegations Islamabad has consistently denied.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, The Nation and RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal</s>ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's parliament on Thursday passed legislation to merge the country's tribal regions along the Afghan border with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a key step to ending the region's much-criticised colonial era governance system.

While security in the restive region has improved, for years Islamist militants including the Taliban and al Qaeda have used Waziristan and its surrounding tribal areas to train and launch attacks in Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan, in part because the region has no government writ.

As a result, the region is central to efforts by Washington, Islamabad and others to combat militants.

The semi-autonomous region consists of seven big district and six towns known as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and has been governed for over 150 years by colonial era tribal laws.

Rights groups have long argued that residents of FATA to have the same laws as the rest of Pakistan, pointing out that the use of collective punishment and other colonial-era laws against local people tramples basic rights.

"The law this parliament passed today will, God willing, bring positive results," Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said after the 372 member house adopted the amendment with a 229 votes majority supported by ruling and opposition parties.

He said the region will be governed with rights equal to other parts of the country.

The reform bill was delayed for years mainly due to political wrangling but has long been demanded by the local population.

Abbasi said local elections in the region would be held this year to kick start a political process and said future governments will spend 100 billion rupees (US$865 million) a year for a decade on development.

Over the past decade Pakistan's military has launched several operations in FATA, displacing many people now forced to live in camps in districts just outside the tribal regions.</s>ISLAMABAD (Pakistan Observer) – The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa merger under the 31st Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2018 has been passed by National Assembly on Thursday.

Law Minister Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk moved the bill, however, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUIF) and Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) opposed it.

The bill was approved clause by clause as 229 members voted in the favor while 11 opposed the bill. FATA will be entitled to get Rs. 100 billion under NFC award as the passing of the bill; KPK laws will be immediately enforceable in FATA.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari assures his party’s support for the bill and instructed party members to ensure the passing of the historic bill.

Under the bill, the laws of Pakistan will be applicable in FATA. In addition, FATA will get Rs1 billion every year for 10 years which will exclusively be for development in FATA. Also, FATA will now be a part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

12 national and 6 provincial seats will remain intact till the elections of 2023. He further said that Frontier Crimes Regulations will be abolished and it will be replaced with an interim governance system till the inclusion of the region with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said Barrister Zafarullah

The seats of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the National assembly will be increased from 48 to 60 after the merger of FATA. The seats for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly will increase to 147 from the current 126 after its merger with FATA.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan also attended the session along with most of his party MNAs. He said that “he could not recall when was the last time he came to the assembly”

FATA-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa merger is a very great step for the prosperity of Pakistan.
The National Assembly of Pakistan votes a constitutional amendment merging the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This will abolish colonial-era rules and provide the five million people from the tribal areas with equal rights as the other people of Pakistan. The measure is expected to pass the next stages without fuss.