RECORDER REPORT
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Sunday passed the historic bill to endorse FATA merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with two-thirds majority. The session held to vote for the bill was presided over by KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, where KP Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak was also present.
The vote count showed that 92 provincial lawmakers voted in favour of the bill while seven in opposition.
The Bill was adopted by National Assembly followed by the Senate. However, its endorsement by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was also a constitutional requirement under Article 239 sub-section 4 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
Though overwhelming majority of the members of the house was in favour of the endorsement of bill, however, members of the house belong to the Provincial Administered Tribal Area (PATA) of Malakand Division complained of being their ignorance in the consultations before taking crucial decision regarding their region.
In the connection, the house also passed a unanimous resolution, which stated that Sartaj Aziz Commission on FATA was constituted for the resolution of problems related to the tribal region and PATA was not included in its mandate.
The resolution was carrying the signatures of Sardar Hussain Babak, Mohammad Reshad Khan, Sahibzada Sanaullah, Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha, Shah Farman, Sikandar Hayat Sherpao and Saeed Gul.
The resolution moved by Dr Haider Ali, a PTI legislator from district Swat said the commission in compiling report regarding PATA (Malakand Division) did not consulted the elected public representatives of the region.
The resolution said though they are fully supporting the Merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but along with it also declare that the people of Malakand Division were not consulted before the abolition of their special status.
It said at the time of accession with Pakistan, the people of PATA were granted special concessions in 1947, which were abolished under the 25th Constitutional Amendment without holding any consultations with them.
It also observed that on the demand of the people of PATA (Malakand Division) and a movement, the government have enforced Nizam-e-Shariah Adl system and after the deletion of Article 247 that special regulations will also come to an end.
The resolution said that though they fully support the KP-FATA merger, but they demand that instead of five years PATA should be exempted of taxes for a period of ten years and it should be kept open for further extension.
The second resolution is the continuation of Shariah Nizam-e-Adl, as it will create severe uncertainty and will make Malakand division vulnerable to severe anarchy. The house also called for the implementation of Shariah Nizam-e-Adl in shape of an Act of the legislature.
Through the third resolution, the house demanded that like FATA, PATA should also be given an annual development fund of Rs 100 billion annually to backwardness in the region. It said like FATA, PATA had also remained victim of worst lawlessness and militancy. Therefore, both should be treated at par. Furthermore, the federal government should also provide subsidized electricity to the industrial zones of the region to attract investment to the area.
Speaking in favour of the bill, the Chief Minister Pervez Khattak congratulated the people of FATA and said injustices committed with tribesmen have no precedent in history. He said that he was over becoming a member of the FATA reforms committee.
He told the house that decision of the KP-FATA merger was taken a year ago, but it could not be implemented and even after five months it was once gain decided, but in vain. He said in past, he demanded decision over the matter for once and ever.
The chief minister said federal government was in favour of granting powers to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But, it was the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) for taking final decision over the matter. He said later it was decided that elections of provincial assembly members from FATA will be held within a period of one year, which was followed by the starting of the process of legislation.
Regarding the abolition of the tax free status of the area, the chief minister said that so far federal government is ready for five-year tax exemption, which will be extended. He assured that they are standing by the PATA and will not impose any new tax while Nizam-e-Adl system will also remain intact.
Earlier, former senior minister and parliamentary leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, Inayatullah , Syed Mohammad Ali Shah (PPP), Sikandar Hayat Sherpao (QWP), Sardar Hussain Babak, Syed Jaffar Shah and others also spoke in favour of the bill and repeated the three demands of PATA.
