Rare consensus in NA over FATA

After merging Fata with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province — which was a prudent decision in itself — the National Assembly reached consensus on increasing the number of seats in both the national and provincial assemblies vis-à-vis amendments to Articles 51 and 106 of the Constitution of Pakistan. The decision to merge Fata with K-P was taken after much planning as to how to build infrastructure and what laws to implement. However, it is heartening see that critical attention is being paid to the repercussions of that initial decision, with the latest one being to provide greater governmental representation to the newly-expanded K-P province.

Admittedly, following the merger, the National Assembly, in an inexplicable move, reduced K-P’s number of seats by half — from 12 to six seats. This move was certainly questionable if not puzzling. However, as Defence Minister Pervez Khattak says since the region (former Fata) is rich in minerals and other natural resources, the increase in number of assembly seats should help ensure that the people of the province are not exploited and given their due share.

Notably, both the government and the opposition unanimously decided to proceed in the way of providing more seats — though, as usual, not without heated debates. Fata has remained a backward region. Besides being plagued with militancy, the region’s inhabitants are inclined towards primitive mindsets and social constructs. It is chiefly the result of the overall backwardness of the region. K-P, before the merger of Fata, also faced the problem of militancy. It has reduced considerably in recent years.

The combining of the two regions made sense for law-making and law-enforcement purposes, but also begged for increased policing since security problems were acquired with the whole package. Along with that, which both the Opposition and the federal government acknowledge, came the requirement for greater representation in federal and provincial assemblies for people of the Fata region to be able to advocate for themselves and express their needs in order to adapt to being part of the province that had been slightly more advanced in terms of following modern laws.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2019.

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