Fata-KP merger bill not in the offing, says minister

Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lieutenant-General Abdul Qadir Baloch (retd) Wednesday said the government is not bringing any bill regarding merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; instead, it has plan to make a law for provincial assembly seats of the area. Speaking on floor of the National Assembly, the minister said the tribal areas will be merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in five years and a procedure for the merger is also defined in Article 247 of the Constitution.
He said that the government only wants to ensure whenever the merger is done and representation of FATA is given in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly, all the preparations are made beforehand.
The minister claimed that 97.5 percent of the IDPs have been repatriated while work on different development projects is also underway. He said the government is willing to spend Rs 100 billion each year in the tribal area for the next 10 years to bring it at par with other parts of the country.
"Next Parliament and the government will decide about the merger," he categorically said, adding that opinion of the tribal people was sought through Jirga (tribal assembly) and majority of them wanted to see the area merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Earlier, speaking on the issue, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman accused the government of trying to merge the tribal area with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under pressure from international players including the US.
He warned the government of anarchy and agitation in the tribal areas if it goes ahead with its plans of the merger without taking the people on board.
The JUI-F chief also accused the government of reneging of its promises with him for leaving the merger issue for the next five years, questioning haste of the government for the FATA reforms.
He also pointed out that the budget is made on directions of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank.
He also said officials in the US Embassy here are also pushing for merger of the tribal area with KP, adding that the government should not go ahead with the merger when it has only a few days left in the office.
Speaking on the issue, Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Ahmad Sherpao said it is need of the hour to do the FATA reforms and this would help improving law and order in the tribal area.
He said neither is pressure on him from any side to support the FATA reforms nor it is an international issue because the tribal area is already part of Pakistan as per the Constitution.
Bilal Rehman, a legislator from FATA said the tribal people want reforms but "where is the development budget that the government had promised for the area."
He said streamlining of the tribal area does not mean its merger with KP and it has been conveyed to the Prime Minister as well.
Dr Azra Fazal of Pakistan Peoples Party said the people of FATA should get their legal rights and her party believes that its merger with the KP will help the area.
Ali Muhammad Khan of PTI said people of FATA are in favour of the merger and the government should also release development funds for the area.
Sheikh Salahuddin of MQM-P, however, suggested the government to hold a referendum in the tribal area to get opinion of the people whether or not they want the merger.