Jurisdiction of courts extended to ex-Fata
Information minister says Khasadars, Levies now become police
Representational image. PHOTO: REUTERS
PESHAWAR:
In the light of Supreme Court of Pakistan’s directives, laws applicable in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and elsewhere in the country have automatically become effective in the merged tribal districts after which terms like Khasadar and Levies too have become void and now these tribal law enforces will be known as police.
K-P Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousufzai told Daily Express that in the provincial apex committee meeting, jointly chaired by Governor Shah Farman and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Wednesday, the K-P Advocate General Abdul Latif Yousufzai was asked to explain the extension of judiciary to erstwhile Fata following the SC orders.
Latif elaborated that the decision through which SC gave K-P government six-month time for extending courts of normal jurisdiction to the merged tribal districts, made all laws in vogue in the province applicable in ex-Fata and ex-Pata.
The SC decision stands for itself. Neither president’s approval nor any notification is needed to implement the Supreme Court’s order, the top lawyer of the K-P government had told the apex committee meeting.
Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousufzai told Daily Express that because Article 247 of the Constitution has been repealed, the Frontier Crimes Regulation too stands dissolved. Therefore, now the tribal areas will work as per the laws in the province.
Similarly, all the departments working in the province have gained extension to the tribal areas automatically.
Yousufzai said that after advocate general’s opinion made things clear, the names of Khasadar and Levies too became redundant and now these tribal law enforcers have become policemen.
Regarding the Apex Committee meetings, the minister said: “Decision has been made. Henceforth, the Apex Committee meetings will be held at CM Secretariat instead of Governor House, because the chief executive of the province is the chief minister and not the governor. However, both the CM and the governor will chair the Apex Committee meetings,” the minister said.
Yousufzai reminded that K-P was the first province to form an apex committee. Unlike other provinces, K-P bordered the then Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and the governor being representative of the federation used to be the chioef executive of Fata.
Therefore, K-P had a tradition of governor chairing the apex Committee meeting.
Information minister said that now this situation has changed. The tribal areas have merged into province and all the control now lies with the chief minister. Yousufzai told Daily Express that yesterday, for the first time the apex committee meeting was held at the CM Secretariat.
“Now on all apext committee meetings will be held at CM Secretariat,” Yousufzai said.
He trashed the rumours that CM and governor had a dispute regarding presidency of meeting.
He said that everyone’s authority is clearly defined in the Green Book, no one needs to tell anyone that who has what authority and who needs to exercise what authority. Yousufzai said that chief minister being the chief executive of the province and governor being the representative of the federation was the constitutional head, both were from PTI and on the same page. “The governor and CM both are our own which is why both agreed to jointly chair the apex committee meeting and will do so in the future too,” the information minister said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2019.
In the light of Supreme Court of Pakistan’s directives, laws applicable in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and elsewhere in the country have automatically become effective in the merged tribal districts after which terms like Khasadar and Levies too have become void and now these tribal law enforces will be known as police.
K-P Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousufzai told Daily Express that in the provincial apex committee meeting, jointly chaired by Governor Shah Farman and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Wednesday, the K-P Advocate General Abdul Latif Yousufzai was asked to explain the extension of judiciary to erstwhile Fata following the SC orders.
Latif elaborated that the decision through which SC gave K-P government six-month time for extending courts of normal jurisdiction to the merged tribal districts, made all laws in vogue in the province applicable in ex-Fata and ex-Pata.
The SC decision stands for itself. Neither president’s approval nor any notification is needed to implement the Supreme Court’s order, the top lawyer of the K-P government had told the apex committee meeting.
Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousufzai told Daily Express that because Article 247 of the Constitution has been repealed, the Frontier Crimes Regulation too stands dissolved. Therefore, now the tribal areas will work as per the laws in the province.
Similarly, all the departments working in the province have gained extension to the tribal areas automatically.
Yousufzai said that after advocate general’s opinion made things clear, the names of Khasadar and Levies too became redundant and now these tribal law enforcers have become policemen.
Regarding the Apex Committee meetings, the minister said: “Decision has been made. Henceforth, the Apex Committee meetings will be held at CM Secretariat instead of Governor House, because the chief executive of the province is the chief minister and not the governor. However, both the CM and the governor will chair the Apex Committee meetings,” the minister said.
Yousufzai reminded that K-P was the first province to form an apex committee. Unlike other provinces, K-P bordered the then Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and the governor being representative of the federation used to be the chioef executive of Fata.
Therefore, K-P had a tradition of governor chairing the apex Committee meeting.
Information minister said that now this situation has changed. The tribal areas have merged into province and all the control now lies with the chief minister. Yousufzai told Daily Express that yesterday, for the first time the apex committee meeting was held at the CM Secretariat.
“Now on all apext committee meetings will be held at CM Secretariat,” Yousufzai said.
He trashed the rumours that CM and governor had a dispute regarding presidency of meeting.
He said that everyone’s authority is clearly defined in the Green Book, no one needs to tell anyone that who has what authority and who needs to exercise what authority. Yousufzai said that chief minister being the chief executive of the province and governor being the representative of the federation was the constitutional head, both were from PTI and on the same page. “The governor and CM both are our own which is why both agreed to jointly chair the apex committee meeting and will do so in the future too,” the information minister said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2019.