Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passes bill for merger of FATA with province

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passed the FATA Reforms Bill 2018 by a two-thirds majority in Peshawar on Sunday following the approval by national assembly and the Senate.  

Law Minister Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi tabled the bill in the house. The bill was passed with eighty-seven votes in favor and six against.

Parliamentary leaders of PML (N) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha, Awami National Party Sardar Hussain Babak, and Qaumi Watan Party Sikandar Hayat Sherpao expressed the hope that with the merger of FATA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a new era of development and prosperity will usher in tribal areas.

They termed the passage of the bill by both the houses of the parliament and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly as a historic moment in the history of the nation and tribal people. State media said that they congratulated the lawmakers and tribal people on achieving this landmark.

Meanwhile, workers of JUI (F) staged a protest against the merger of FATA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They blocked Khyber road for all sorts of traffic by burning tires. They also attacked and damaged vehicles of private TV channels.

Meanwhile, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Iqbal Zafar Jhagra has congratulated the nation over the passage of FATA merger bill by the provincial assembly.

In his message, he lauded the approval of the bill by a two-thirds majority and said the entire nation is happy on this historic day.

Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said the merger will not only remove the sense of deprivation of the tribesmen but also help the people of FATA to play their active role in the progress and prosperity of the motherland.

He said the history will always remember this historic step of the National Assembly and KPK Assembly.

Pakistan's rebuttal

Pakistan has rejected the statement of Afghan Press Agency regarding the merger of the tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In a statement, the Foreign Office Spokesperson said that our parliament’s decision reflects the will of the people of Pakistan.


He said the principles of non-interference and non-intervention in the conduct of bilateral relations need to be scrupulously adhered by Afghanistan.