PTI wants Fata-KP merger without further delay

Accusing the ruling government and its two major allies - JUI-F and PKMAP - of the delay in introducing FATA reforms, the PTI on Thursday demanded merger of tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without any further delay, saying it is the only solution to end the sense of deprivation among the tribal people.
A parliamentary party meeting took place at Banigala with Chairman Imran Khan in the chair, stated that nothing is solution to the problem except merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to bring the impoverished and politically deprived tribal region at par with the rest of the country.
The party demanded to immediately pass the 30th Constitutional Amendment Bill to pave way for ending the sufferings faced by the people of tribal areas. The party will also forward amendment to the bill which would be focused on merging FATA with KP.
In a statement issued here after the meeting, the PTI said that FATA merger is part of party's manifesto for 2018 general elections and any delay in this regard will not be acceptable, adding the inordinate delay on part of ruling PML-N is nothing but to please its allies - JUI-F and PKMAP.
A spokesman of PTI said that it was PTI's proposal which it had floated in 2016 to merge the tribal areas with KP, as it could have helped in ending the militancy and terrorism from the area.
If the country is facing a security situation particularly in FATA, he added, it is due to PML-N and its allied political parties which intentionally delayed the process for their own vested interests. As the government had already decided to introduce the bill in National Assembly, the spokesman said that the party will forward amendment to incorporate in the bill in order to strengthen it further. He said that with the passage of the bill from the Parliament, the people of FATA will not only make the tribal areas economically independent but will also be helpful in eradicating the menace of terrorism from the tribal belt. He contended that PTI will put forth amendment to the bill as this is only solution to resolve the longstanding issues faced by the people of tribal areas, adding mere reforms without merging it to KP will be of no use.
The FATA is a semi-autonomous tribal region along Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan. It consists of seven tribal agencies (districts) and six frontier regions and is directly governed by the federal government.
According to the plan, colonial era draconian laws known as Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) will be replaced. The proposed merger would be carried out over a period of five years and a 10-year development package would be introduced for all of the FATA.
However, the PTI, which is in power in the province, has been insisting to merge FATA with KP, saying it is the demand of the people and it is only way out to get rid of the militancy.