K-P to extend Rescue 1122 service to tribal districts

Survey teams have begun visiting Khyber, Bajaur, Mohmand and Orakzai

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has decided to extend Rescue 1122 services to the tribal districts.

The National Assembly in May 2018 voted in favour of a constitutional amendment to merge the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with K-P.

Prior to the rescue service starting operations in the region, a survey will be conducted to determine the need of each tribal district. According to director general Rescue 1122, the government is treating the extension in services to the tribal areas as a priority.



Recommendations of the survey will be sent to the provincial government.

The 31st Amendment Act, 2018, which was formerly the Fata merger bill, amends Article 1; 51; 59; 62; 106; 155 and 246 of the Constitution.

It reduces Senate seats from 104 to 96 members as Fata no longer has separate representation after the merger. Half of the existing eight senators would retire in 2021 and the remaining four in 2024 and thereafter there would be no separate representation for Fata in the Senate.

Similarly, the K-P Assembly has 145 seats, including 115 general, 26 reserved for women and four for minorities. Fata will have 21 seats in the K-P Assembly, including 16 general, four for women and one reserved for non-Muslims.

Elections to the aforesaid seats will be held within one year after the general elections 2018. Article 247 -which places the tribal areas under the ambit of the president of Pakistan- was also repealed.