KP Assembly passes FATA merger bill

A view of the assembly session on Sunday. (AN photo)

The JUI-F activists protesting outside the assembly building. (AN photo)

• Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam activists protested outside the assembly
• Several protesters and policemen were injured

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Assembly on Sunday passed a bill to merge the province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
The bill, tabled by Law Minister Imtiaz Shahid, passed with 92 votes in favor and seven against. FATA will be represented in KP’s Assembly.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam activists protested outside the assembly. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Several protesters and policemen were injured.
Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said it is a moment of happiness for the people of FATA as they are now rid of the colonial-era Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), which “deprived the tribesmen of their rights since the inception of Pakistan.”
The leader of the opposition in KP’s Assembly, Maulana Lutfur Rehman, said the people of FATA had not been properly consulted about the merger. “A foreign agenda is being forced upon us,” he added.