Daily Times

A constitutional amendment bill seeking increase in the number of seats for the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in the National Assembly and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, tabled by MNA Mohsin Dawar, was debated in the Lower House on Friday.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif started the debate over the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill. He welcomed the step taken on private members’ day and said the whole House agrees with the bill. “The tribal areas have been suffering from anarchy for four decades … our beautiful cities became safe havens for terrorists,” he said. “Pakistan had no conflict with Russia. Pakistan’s subjugation at the hands of a superpower was a sad chapter in the country’s history. We compromised our independence for others’ benefits. US has been defeated in Afghanistan, and is now looking to escape,” he added.

He said special attention is needed to be given to the erstwhile FATA until complete restoration of peace. “Drone attacks were conducted at marriages and funerals in these areas. People suffered the impact of being on the frontline of the 17-year-long Afghan war against terrorism. After 2000, the Afghan war was not our war,” he told the House. “Even after 18 years, US has not been able to win the war.”

“The people of FATA should be granted special privileges right away, which will remain for the next 10 years for as long as development work is ongoing,” he said. “People from the tribal areas are currently spread all over the country. They should be given special privileges ? until stability has been established there ? to alleviate their hardships,” he added.

Defence Minister Pervez Khattak said the government has owned the area that used to be referred to as ‘no-go zone’. He said the step should have been taken 70 years ago.

Khattak said the National Assembly is going to pass the constitutional amendment bill unanimously on Monday to increase the number of seats. He said the bill will be passed on the demand of the elected representatives and people of tribal areas so that they do not have a sense of deprivation anymore.

“All resources are present in these areas, and their people have served as our security personnel as well. I am very pleased that all parties have agreed over the merger of erstwhile FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and we shall ensure education reforms and other developments in the region,” the minister said.

Khattak warned Khawaja Asif that the ruling party members also know how to retort in anger. He was speaking in relation to Khawaja Asif’s behavior in the assembly on Thursday, saying that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf members will respond to whatever was said in the House. In the same vein, Khattak said the PTI lawmakers, if pushed, can also stand to defend ‘their speaker’.

The usage of the term led to a protest from opposition, whose members told the NA speaker that he was the same for everyone in the assembly. To which Asad Qaiser responded that he was the speaker for the entire assembly.

Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri said the constitutional amendment has been finalised after consultation with all the political parties in the parliament, adding that it is a major gift from the parliament to the tribal people.

Minister of State for SAFRON Shehryar Afridi said that under the constitutional amendment, seats of tribal districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have been enhanced to 24 and in the National Assembly to 12.

Members belonging to tribal districts hailed both the treasury and opposition benches for standing up in support of the tribal people and recognising their rights. They expressed the confidence that other problems faced by the tribal people will also be addressed on priority basis.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, meanwhile, told the House that Pakistan has actively been taking up with India the issue of release of its prisoners languishing in their jails. Responding to the calling attention notice of Attaullah and others in the National Assembly, he said it is a humanitarian issue.

The foreign minister regretted that India wants to escalate the matters with Pakistan. He said India tried to escalate the situation following Pulwama incident despite the fact that Pakistan had no connection with it and this has been recognised by the world as well. Qureshi said Pakistan’s strategy has remained to defuse the tension with India through goodwill gestures such as the release of Indian pilot as well as their 360 fishermen.

Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas told the House that 585 Pakistani prisoners including 210 fishermen are languishing in Indian jails. She said India will release four Pakistani fishermen on next Tuesday.

The House was later adjourned to meet again on Monday at 12pm.