Pakistan government on March 2, 2017 approved the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
The aim is bring the impoverished and politically deprived tribal region at par with the rest of the country.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the federal cabinet which approved in principle the recommendations of the FATA Reforms Committee.
The six-member committee headed by PM's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz recommended that FATA should be made part of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
The FATA is a semi-autonomous tribal region in northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan.
It consists of seven tribal agencies (districts) and six frontier regions, and are directly governed by Pakistan's federal government.
According to the plan, colonial era draconian laws known as Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) will be replaced.
The proposed merger would be carried out over a period of five years and a 10-year development package would be introduced for all of FATA.
The cabinet not only approved the plan but also agreed to set up courts, allocate additional funds and build infrastructure in the tribal region.
Due shares will be given from the national resources to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and FATA people.
The prime minister said it is obligatory for the Federal and provincial governments to work for the welfare of the people of these regions.
Nawaz Sharif: Know More- Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, MP is the 20th and current Prime Minister of Pakistan.
- He has been in office since June 2013.
- A veteran politician, he previously served as the Prime Minister from 1990 to 1993 and from 1997 to 1999.
- Born: 25 December 1949, Lahore, Pakistan
