Merger challenged: FR Bannu elders submit writ petition

BANNU: Elders of Frontier Region Bannu have submitted a writ petition in the PHC to merge the Frontier Regions into settled districts on Thursday. The court has accepted the application for hearing and summoned the chief secretary, FATA additional secretary and other officers on August 22.

Earlier, K-P governor and CM issued a notification to merge FR region into the settled area. However, the FATA chief and additional secretary failed to comply with the orders. However Engineer Malik Noor Ghazali, Malik Gul Behram, Dr Wilayat Khan and Masood Iqbal Khattak – a group of elders – challenged the move in the high court and submitted a writ petition.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2016.