The Federal Cabinet on Tuesday approved a draft amendment for the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had chaired the meeting held in the federal capital. The cabinet also approved the placement of the amendment draft before parliament. It was decided that monetary and administrative powers would be transferred to the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) government, whose council would serve as the advisory board. It was also shared that with the devolution of greater administrative and financial powers to the government of Gilgit-Balitistan, all the rights would be available to the citizens in GB as available to the people in other provinces of Pakistan. The meeting also ratified the decisions of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet made during its meetings held on May 8 and May 11, 2018. The decisions of the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) made during its meeting on October 12, 2017 were also ratified. Moreover, the agreement between Pakistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina on cooperation in the sphere of Defence Industry also got the cabinet’s nod. It approved signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Board of Investment, Government of Pakistan and Business France. The cabinet also approved signing of a MoU between Educational Scientific Productive Complex International of Kyrgyzstan and Allama Iqbal Open University of Pakistan in the field of distance education. The cabinet approved repatriation of Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, judge Banking Court-IV Karachi, to the Sindh High Court. D&SJ Tando Muhammad Khan Ijlal Hyder Memon has been appointed in his place. The cabinet approved extension in the tenure of Obaid Ahmed Khan, D&SJ as Special Court (Control of Narcotics Substance-II) Karachi for a further period of two years with effect from May 7, 2018. Appointment of Justice (r) Ch Shahid Saeed as chairman of Copyright Board in IPO-Pakistan was approved. The meeting approved re-constitution of the Board of Directors of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) and also granted ex-post facto approval for the appointment of chairman, PNSC, Karachi. Maximum retail prices of drugs were also approved during the meeting. A proposal for inclusion of various items in the Compulsory Certification Mark Scheme of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) was also approved. The cabinet also approved Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Gas (Third Party Access) Rules, 2018. The meeting approved National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Policy. The Federal Cabinet also approved Digital Pakistan Policy. The cabinet approved signing of an agreement for provision of Grant Facility for USD 14 million to Somalia. It also approved a proposal for creation of Jinnah Visiting Professorship at London School of Economics. Reconstitution of Board of Directors, Pakistan Expo Centres (Pvt) Limited was also approved. The cabinet also approved nomination of private sector members for the Board of Directors of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. Published in Daily Times, May 23rd 2018.