Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passed unanimous resolutions in favour of the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and no objection certificate (NOC) for the foreign delegations visiting the province.

The session was chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Wednesday.

The first resolution was presented by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Dr Haider Ali as the resolution was signed by MPA Sikander Khan Sherpao, Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha and Sardar Aurangzeb Nalota from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N).

The resolution demanded the federal government to merge FATA into KP and gives all the resources and other facilities to the FATA people.

Senior Minister Sikander Sherpao of Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) said that the time has come that we give all rights to the FATA people, adding that FATA people were living with Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) law and the other Pakistanis were living in other laws.

He further added that this is 21st century and we should give all the rights to the FATA people which were available to other citizen of the country, adding that already the federal government has conducted survey and went to all agencies of FATA and take the views of Fata people for emerged in KP as all of them were agreed.

He informed that if FATA were emerged in KP then this would be a second big province of the country and then all the stakeholders will recognize the mandate of the assembly and its people.

Mufti Janan from Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam- Fazal (JUI-F) said that their party was not in favor of the merger of FATA in KP as the province had no power and capability that it will also raise voice for the FATA people.

“Our party has observations as the federal committee not went to the common people of FATA as they wants not to be emerged in FATA but wants a separate province where all the facilities were provided to them”, Mufti added.

Another resolution was also presented by Dr. Haider Ali of PTI and said that yesterday this assembly passed the resolution that no NOC for the foreign delegates who visiting to KP but again the federal government not allowed the British High Commission delegation and demanded NOC for visiting to KP.

While wearing black ribbon from his hand he said that today all the members of provincial assembly wore this black ribbon from their hands to criticized the federal government decision.

He added that peace prevail in KP and now the investors wants to came to KP and invest here but the federal government playing tactics and discouraging the foreign investors to divert investment from KP to Punjab.

Mufti Fazli Ghafoor of JUI (F) said and criticized the provincial government that they spend more than three years in sit-inn protest and waste the time of the people of KP, adding that PTI government failed to depend the rights of KP people. He further said and asked that why in Council of Common Interest (CCI) meeting the KP Chief Minister and Finance Minister not highlighting these issues and why not they boycotted to fight for the people of KP.

He added that the CM KP and all the Ministers were not attending the assembly session, adding that the KP people give them vote that they can fight for their rights but the CM and the ministers were not sincere with the mandate of the KP people.