FATA to be brought in mainstream within 5 years; 10 year development plan approved

ISLAMABAD: The government announced the gradual mainstreaming of Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) within 5 years while the area would be brought at par with the other areas of the country under 10 year special development package.

Chairman of the 6-member Committee on FATA Reforms and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, Thursday announcing the cabinet decisions on the recommendations of the Committee said provision would be made through constitutional amendment to enable the people of Tribal belt to elect their representatives to the Kheyber pakhtunkhwa Assembly in the 2018 election along with other consequential amendments.

He was briefing the newsmen at the Foreign Office here along with other Committee members; Governor KPK, Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, Minister for SAFRON, Lt. Gen (Retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Minister for Law and Justice, Zahid Hamid, National Security Advisor, Lt. Gen (Retd) Nasser Khan Janjua and Secretary SAFRON, Muhammad Shehzad Arbab.

He said the committee has suggested that party based local bodies elections should be held in FATA soon after 2018 general elections.

Sartaj Aziz said the cabinet had approved in principle to the recommendation of the committee to mainstream FATA in consultation with different stakeholders of the area.

He also elaborated the repeated consultation process which the committee adopted by visiting all agencies and holding Jirgas with the notables and representatives of all stakeholders of the respective areas.

He said the Frontier Crimes Regulatiuon (FCR) would be repealed and replaced by a new Rewaj Regulation for Tribal Areas which should be submitted to the president for approval under article 247 of the Constitution.

Provisions relating to collective/vicarious responsibility would be omitted, thereby making an individual responsible for his own acts.

The Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs) would be repatriated by April 30 whereas most activities under the reconstruction phase would be completed before the end of 2018, he said.

A high level experts special committee and officials would be formed under the governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to prioritize preparation of a 10 years' socio-economic development plan for FATA by April 30.

The National Finance Commission would be requested to consider making an allocation of 3% of the gross federal divisible pool on annual basis for the implementation of FATA development plan. This would be in addition to the existing annual PSDP allocation of Rs 21 billion, Sartaj said.

The cabinet had also approved 30% of the allocation in FATA Development Plan which should be channeled through the local bodies.