Islamabad, June 23 (TNS): While the government has delayed the decision for merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa under pressure of JUI(F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the National Assembly Standing Committee on States and Frontiers Region (SAFRON) at its meeting on Friday deferred “The Tribal Areas Rewaj Bill, 2017” to repeal the FCR Law for next meeting with suggestion for further study of the bill and sharing it with the people of FATA.
The meeting was chaired by Mr. Muhammad Jamal ud Din, MNA and was briefed on the Bill. The Committee was informed that after enactment of the Bill, it will repeal the FCR Law in FATA as it was the long standing demand of the people of FATA. The Minister for SAFRON Lt General Abdul Qadir Baloch also briefed the Committee over the salient features of the Bill in detail. He also readout the recommendations finalized by the Reforms Committee on FATA and approved by the Cabinet before the Committee as well. To a question regarding the word of merger of FATA in KP, the Minister told the Committee that there were total 26 recommendations made by the FATA Reforms Committee wherein the word was used of bringing the FATA in mainstream in next five years. He further said that the Committee has the mandate to pass or reject the said Bill.
The issue of tax extension to FATA also came under discussion and the members from FATA raised their strong reservations over it and demanded from the Federal Government to review on it. Mr. Bismillah Khan, MNA also did token walkout on the decision of imposing tax in FATA and said that the FATA is war torn area and it will be great injustice with the people of FATA if not withdrawn the decision by the Federal Government. The Committee also decided that FATA members who are not the members of the Committee would also be invited in the next meeting to obtain their point of view/input regarding the aforementioned Bill.
The meeting was also attended by Mr. Muhammad Nazir Khan, Begum Tahira Bukhari, Ms. Iffat Liaqat, Ms. Surraiya Jatoi, Mr. Aftab Shaban Mirani, Mr. Muhammad Kamal Malik, Mr. Bilal Rehman, Mr. Bismillah Khan, Mr. Nasir Khan, Sheikh Fayyaz-ud-Din, Mian Shahid Hussain Khan Bhatti, Mr. Usman Tarakai, Marri, Ms. Naeema Kishwar Khan and Ms. Shahida Akhtar Ali MNAs and Minister for States and Frontier Regions and Officers/Officials of the Ministry. Although it has
