National Assembly votes on KP-FATA merger bill

[Devil Soul]

National Assembly votes on KP-FATA merger bill

ISLAMABAD: An amendment bill clearing the way for the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was presented in the National Assembly on Thursday, a day after the parliamentary committee gave it a go-ahead.

After months of delays following disagreements between coalition partners and the opposition over its clauses, the bill on the 31st Amendment of the Constitution was tabled by Law Minister Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk. The bill requires two-third majority to be passed.


Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) and Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) opposed the bill while Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) announced its support after expressing reservations.

NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is chairing the 56th NA session which is attended by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

In a rare move, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan is also attending the session to vote for FATA's merger with KP.

Photo: Geo News screengrab

As the NA speaker called for voting on the clauses of the bill, 229 lawmakers voted in favour of the first clause while 11 opposed it. Meanwhile, the second clause was favoured by 229 lawmakers and opposed by three.

According to Geo News, there was an error in one of the clauses in the bill which was then amended by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Zahid Hamid and approved.

"The seats for women in KP and Punjab Assembly have increased," Hamid explained while making the change.























Addressing the NA before the bill was tabled, PM Abbasi said, "The FATA-KP merger bill is everyone's bill not government's nor opposition's."

“The bill aims at changing the 150-year-old system in tribal areas,” the premier added.

The House waited for more lawmakers to arrive before the bill was passed as while the government lacked attendance, the opposition was in full strength.

The House was in order despite JUI-F MNA Maulna Jamaluddin pointing out quorum.


I do not remember when I last attended NA session, says Imran


A session of the parliamentary leaders chaired by PM Abbasi was held on Wednesday, where the leaders finally agreed upon the amendment bill for the merger.

The session was attended by Barrister Zafarullah, Senate Opposition leader Sherry Rehman, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and Aftab Sherpao. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party members boycotted the session.

Earlier this week, the amendment was approved by the federal cabinet in a session presided over by the prime minister.

The KP assembly adopted a resolution on December 14, 2016 in favour of merging FATA with KP with the aim of rehabilitating and reconstructing the infrastructure including roads, communications, power lines, water supply, education and health facilities.

In a meeting on December 26, 2017, the federal cabinet approved the formation of a high-level national implementation committee for FATA reforms.

'KP Assembly seats to increase to 147'
The draft bill seeks to amend seven articles in the Constitution of Pakistan to allow implementation of proposed reforms.

The bill seeks an amendment to Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines the country’s territory and mentions FATA as a separate entity along with other four provinces.

The bill also seeks to increase the number seats for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly to 147 from the current 126.


Parliamentary committee agrees on amendment for KP-FATA merger


The general seats of the provincial assembly will increase from 99 to 117, the bill states. Moreover, the seats for women will be increased from 22 to 26, while religious minorities’ seats will increase from three to four.

According to the sub-section of the bill, FATA will be granted 18 general seats, four seats for women and one for religious minorities.

Moreover, FATA’s 12 seats in National Assembly will be merged in KP Assembly and KP seats will increase from 48 to 60 in the National Assembly.

 

[Rashid Mahmood]

Congratulations to all Pakistanis and tribal brothers.

Next target is GB.

 

[Norwegian]

The constitutional amendment billseeking the much-awaited merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was tabled in the National Assembly on Thursday.

229 members of the assembly voted in favour of the introduction of the bill while 11 others voted against it. Voting on each clause of the bill is ongoing. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUIF) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) members staged a walkout from the assembly when the voting started.

After months of wrangling with coalition partners and the opposition over its clauses, the bill was finally presented by Law Minister Chaudhary Mahmood Bashir Virk with only eight days remaining in the tenure of the National Assembly.

As expected, JUI-F and PkMAP opposed the bill when it was tabled with MQM announcing its support after expressing its reservations.

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD

MQM's Dr Farooq Sattar said that his party is supporting the bill "for the sake of political unity." However, he clarified that his party still believes that Fata should be turned into a separate province.

Dr Sattar called for the formation of 19 provinces — including Karachi — on administrative grounds. He said that the MQM had put the bills for creation of provinces of South Punjab, Hazara and Fata.

The MQM leader also demanded that there should be a referendum in Fata regarding turning it into a new province. "We fear that if Fata is merged with KP then tomorrow it will be difficult to create the new Fata province in future," Dr Sattar said.

Representing PkMAP in the NA, Abdul Qahar defended his party's position and said that they had always termed the bill controversial. He added that the people of Fata should be given the right to decide about their own future.

He said that the people of Fata want their own province, their own chief minister, governor and public service commission. Referring to Imran Khan and Sheikh Rashid, Qahar said that those who have been cursing the parliament are now sitting in it.

Representing JUI-F, Jamaluddin said that today is a black day in the country's history as the parliament was about to remove the word Fata from the country's Constitution. He alleged that Fata was being merged with KP as part of a foreign agenda.

Jamaluddin said that both PML-N and PTI curse each other all the time, but today they have joined hands to usurp the rights of the people of Fata.

Shah Gee Gul Afridi, an independent MNA from Fata, alleged that Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Mehmood Khan Achakzai were opposing the merger as they knew that they would not get any funds after the bill is passed.

He said that the real faces of those who wanted to keep the people of Fata divided for their political advantages have been exposed in the parliament today. He added that the nation would reject the opponents of the merger in the upcoming.

In a rare move, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was present in the assembly session.

Before the bill was tabled, PTI's Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that JUI-F's Fazlur Rehman and PkMAP's Mehmood Khan Achakzai had wasted nearly two years by opposing the merger only for their vested interests.

Qureshi termed today a historical day and said that the merger of Fata with KP would be the completion of Pakistan.

According to sources, the bill seeks an amendment to Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines the country’s territory and mentions Fata as a separate entity along with other four provinces.

The bill also seeks to amend Articles 51 and 106, which specify the number of seats allocated to each of the federating units in the national and provincial assemblies.

Sources had earlier said that the bill would also seek to repeal Articles 246 and 247, which place the tribal areas under the command and control of the president.

Sources had also claimed that most parties have agreed that the formal merger of Fata with KP should be spread over a year with the allocation of seats in the KP Assembly. As far as senators from Fata are concerned, they said, it had been decided that the incumbent eight senators would be allowed to complete their six-year terms. Half of the senators would retire in 2021 and the remaining four in 2024, after which there would be no separate representation for Fata in the Senate.

It was initially unclear if the bill would be passed as members' recent attendance in the assembly has been spotty at best. Official records show that on average, 175 members have attended the last 10 sittings of the assembly. The maximum presence of 222 members on May 15 and 208 on May 18 was recorded when the house passed the federal budget.

According to the Constitution, an amendment bill can only be passed with a vote of 228 members, two-thirds of the 342-member National Assembly, and political experts believe ensuring this number will be a daunting task not only for the government, but also for the opposition parties.

The government has also summoned a session of the Senate on Thursday and the bill, if passed by the National Assembly, would be placed before the upper house on Friday (tomorrow).

Passing the bill in KP Assembly
Another daunting task for the political leadership is to get the bill passed with a two-thirds vote in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly before the expiry of its term on May 28, three days before the National Assembly’s dissolution.

As per Article 239(4) of the Constitution, the president cannot assent a constitutional amendment bill which affects geographical boundaries of a province without approval by the assembly of that province.

Article 239(4) of the Constitution reads, “A bill to amend the Constitution which would have the effect of altering the limits of a province shall not be presented to the president for assent unless it has been passed by the provincial assembly of that province by the votes of not less than two-thirds of its total membership.”

If the bill does not get through the KP Assembly, then the fate of Fata merger will be in the hands of new representatives to be elected in the coming general elections. Even after its passage from the National Assembly and the Senate, the president will have to wait to give his assent till the installation of the new assembly.

The National Assembly had already passed a bill on January 12 extending the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the Peshawar High Court to Fata, as a first major step towards mainstreaming the tribal region and its eventual merger with KP.

The bill was passed comfortably as the only opposition to it came from JUI-F lawmakers

 

[Devil Soul]

NA votes to approve FATA's merger with Khyber Paktunkhwa


Listen

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday voted to approve an amendment bill seeking merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Paktunkhwa.

The bill was approved by two third majority as 229 members favored it while 29 lawmakers chose to oppose.

Clause by clause approval of the amendment was still underway.

The 31st amendment bill was tabled by law minister Bashir Virk during the National Assembly session which was also attended by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan.

Government allies Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Mehmood Khan Achakzai were not present in the house as their parties continued their opposition to the bill.

Commenting on lack of adequate members in the house, the prime minister took the floor and said the bill belongs to all the parties.

Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah said the PPP was ready to wait for the members to come.

FATA Reforms

Under the FATA reforms bill, the number of National Assembly seats (12) and Senate seats (8) will remain unchanged while elections for the Provincial Assembly seats allocated for FATA would be held next year.

According to the bill, the powers that president and the governor had in FATA would no longer be effective while it would also abolish the FCR.

FATA would also acquire additional Rs100 billion beside Rs24 billion under the National Finance Commission.

FATA would also get a special fund of Rs1000 billion.

The jurisdiction of Supreme Court and the Peshawar High Court would be extended to FATA.







The areas would also be granted exemption from tax for five years.

National Assembly votes on KP-Fata merger bill
Amir Wasim | Dawn.comUpdated May 24, 2018
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The constitutional amendment bill seeking the much-awaited merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was tabled in the National Assembly on Thursday.

229 members of the assembly voted in favour of the introduction of the bill while 11 others voted against it. Voting on each clause of the bill is ongoing. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUIF) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) members staged a walkout from the assembly when the voting started.

After months of wrangling with coalition partners and the opposition over its clauses, the bill was finally presented by Law Minister Chaudhary Mahmood Bashir Virk with only eight days remaining in the tenure of the National Assembly.

As expected, JUI-F and PkMAP opposed the bill when it was tabled with MQM announcing its support after expressing its reservations.

MQM's Dr Farooq Sattar said that his party is supporting the bill "for the sake of political unity." However, he clarified that his party still believes that Fata should be turned into a separate province.

Read: Basic facilities more important for Fata than merger: PM

Dr Sattar called for the formation of 19 provinces — including Karachi — on administrative grounds. He said that the MQM had put the bills for creation of provinces of South Punjab, Hazara and Fata.

The MQM leader also demanded that there should be a referendum in Fata regarding turning it into a new province. "We fear that if Fata is merged with KP then tomorrow it will be difficult to create the new Fata province in future," Dr Sattar said.

Representing PkMAP in the NA, Abdul Qahar defended his party's position and said that they had always termed the bill controversial. He added that the people of Fata should be given the right to decide about their own future.

He said that the people of Fata want their own province, their own chief minister, governor and public service commission. Referring to Imran Khan and Sheikh Rashid, Qahar said that those who have been cursing the parliament are now sitting in it.

Representing JUI-F, Jamaluddin said that today is a black day in the country's history as the parliament was about to remove the word Fata from the country's Constitution. He alleged that Fata was being merged with KP as part of a foreign agenda.

Jamaluddin said that both PML-N and PTI curse each other all the time, but today they have joined hands to usurp the rights of the people of Fata.

Shah Gee Gul Afridi, an independent MNA from Fata, alleged that Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Mehmood Khan Achakzai were opposing the merger as they knew that they would not get any funds after the bill is passed.

He said that the real faces of those who wanted to keep the people of Fata divided for their political advantages have been exposed in the parliament today. He added that the nation would reject the opponents of the merger in the upcoming.

In attendance
In a rare move, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was present in the assembly session.

Before the bill was tabled, PTI's Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that JUI-F's Fazlur Rehman and PkMAP's Mehmood Khan Achakzai had wasted nearly two years by opposing the merger only for their vested interests.

Qureshi termed today a historical day and said that the merger of Fata with KP would be the completion of Pakistan.

According to sources, the bill seeks an amendment to Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines the country’s territory and mentions Fata as a separate entity along with other four provinces.

The bill also seeks to amend Articles 51 and 106, which specify the number of seats allocated to each of the federating units in the national and provincial assemblies.

Sources had earlier said that the bill would also seek to repeal Articles 246 and 247, which place the tribal areas under the command and control of the president.

Sources had also claimed that most parties have agreed that the formal merger of Fata with KP should be spread over a year with the allocation of seats in the KP Assembly. As far as senators from Fata are concerned, they said, it had been decided that the incumbent eight senators would be allowed to complete their six-year terms. Half of the senators would retire in 2021 and the remaining four in 2024, after which there would be no separate representation for Fata in the Senate.

It was initially unclear if the bill would be passed as members' recent attendance in the assembly has been spotty at best. Official records show that on average, 175 members have attended the last 10 sittings of the assembly. The maximum presence of 222 members on May 15 and 208 on May 18 was recorded when the house passed the federal budget.

According to the Constitution, an amendment bill can only be passed with a vote of 228 members, two-thirds of the 342-member National Assembly, and political experts believe ensuring this number will be a daunting task not only for the government, but also for the opposition parties.

The government has also summoned a session of the Senate on Thursday and the bill, if passed by the National Assembly, would be placed before the upper house on Friday (tomorrow).

Passing the bill in KP Assembly
Another daunting task for the political leadership is to get the bill passed with a two-thirds vote in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly before the expiry of its term on May 28, three days before the National Assembly’s dissolution.

As per Article 239(4) of the Constitution, the president cannot assent a constitutional amendment bill which affects geographical boundaries of a province without approval by the assembly of that province.

Article 239(4) of the Constitution reads, “A bill to amend the Constitution which would have the effect of altering the limits of a province shall not be presented to the president for assent unless it has been passed by the provincial assembly of that province by the votes of not less than two-thirds of its total membership.”

If the bill does not get through the KP Assembly, then the fate of Fata merger will be in the hands of new representatives to be elected in the coming general elections. Even after its passage from the National Assembly and the Senate, the president will have to wait to give his assent till the installation of the new assembly.

The National Assembly had already passed a bill on January 12 extending the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the Peshawar High Court to Fata, as a first major step towards mainstreaming the tribal region and its eventual merger with KP.

The bill was passed comfortably as the only opposition to it came from JUI-F lawmakers.

 

[Path-Finder]

Before the bill was tabled, PTI's Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that JUI-F's Fazlur Rehman and PkMAP's Mehmood Khan Achakzai had wasted nearly two years by opposing the merger only for their vested interests.

2 mofo that need to be thrown over the new barbed fence into their home country.

 

[shahbaz baig]

229 members of the assembly voted in favour of the introduction of the bill while 11 others voted against it.

I must say 11 others would have no future in pakistan politics.

 

[El Sidd]

Dr Sattar called for the formation of 19 provinces — including Karachi — on administrative grounds. He said that the MQM had put the bills for creation of provinces of South Punjab, Hazara and Fata.

Agar Sattar kay ghulaam tu bharosay laiq hota

 

[TMA]

Congratulations to all Pakistanis and tribal brothers.

Next target is GB.

But won't that prejudice Occupied Jammu and Kashmir?

 

[Kambojaric]

Great! I think a seperate FATA province with extra funding would have been a better idea as the region seriously lags behind the rest of the country economically speaking. Nevertheless even if it joins KPK this is amazing news.

 

[HannibalBarca]

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUIF) / JUI-F lawmakers

I'm just passing, don't mind me.
Just wanted to point it out.

"JUIF" means Jew in French... Just saying.

 

[Max]

Congrats to people of FATA.

"JUIF" means Jew in French... Just saying.

lol.. This party is obsessed with jews and other infidels.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Congrats to Pakistan

 

[AMG_12]

Alhumdullilah!
This was long awaited, long delayed. We do support provincial status for FATA but that would take a long time as FATA has to politically and administratively mature up to be granted that status. KPK has a running government machinery that would prove beneficial for integration of FATA into the mainstream.

 

[The Eagle]

Congratulations to every Pakistani on this historic day. However, people Achakzai & JUIF, being beloved of Nawaz Sharif, can now mourn as much as they want but better things to be happened. Both the opposing parties stance was weak to stop the merger but still, being close aid and supporters for Nawaz, PMLn itself has been delaying the process and now as when Government is merely taking last breaths of expiry, taking advantage to score few points.

Not to forget that how PMLn own governance terribly failed for renovation, reconstruction, reforms and rebuilding of FATA after war on terrorism for which the then COAS, Gen. Retd. Raheel Sharif himself pointed out the incompetence that civil government has to do its part. Furthermore, this merger is going to help down the Pashteen Evil Movement as well that his so-called right politics will die by the time as civilian government takes over FATA.

Congrats everyone. Pakistan Zindabad

 

[koolio]

Great news, this will enable FATA citizens to have the same rights and development with the rest of the country.