President signs bill extending jurisdiction of SC, PHC to FATA

President Mamnoon Hussain on Tuesday signed the Supreme Court (SC) and Peshawar High Court (PHC) extension of jurisdiction to FATA bill, 2018, Radio Pakistan reported.

He signed the bill on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. The bill had already been approved by the National Assembly and Senate.

After the president's endorsement, the bill has now become law.



Last week, despite opposition by a couple of government allies, the Senate passed the bill bringing Fata under the jurisdiction of the SC and PHC. Senators belonging to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), and Fata Senator Taj Afridi staged a token walkout to register their protest after Law Minister Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk tabled the bill before the House for approval.

Lawmakers of all other parties supported the bill and termed it a great achievement of the parliament, saying it would mainstream tribal areas.



Following the bill’s approval in the upper house, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani congratulated the nation, people of Fata and the House, saying that the Senate would continue to work for the betterment of people. He dispelled the impression that bill had been passed on because of some ‘external pressure’.