Senate approves FATA-KP merger bill

The 31st Amendment Bill for the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was approved by the Senate on Friday.

Senate session was held a day after the bill was passed in the National Assembly. The session was headed by Senate Chairperson Sadiq Sanjrani, while the bill was presented in the Senate by Law Minister Chaudhry Bashir Virk.

The Senate passed the bill with a significant majority of 71-5 votes, local media reported. The votes against the bill came by Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), after which the party members staged a walk out.

On Thursday, the National Assembly had passed the bill after a total of 229 members cast their votes in favour of the bill while one opposed it. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, in a surprise appearance, had also participated in the vote.

Under the bill, FATA  which is placed as separate territory of the country like the four provinces, will now be part of the territory of KP.