Extending SC, PHC jurisdiction to FATA milestone towards merger with KP: Nafisa Shah

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Central Information Secretary Dr Nafisa Shah has congratulated the opposition parties on leading the movement which led to the passing of the Supreme Court (SC) and High Court Extension Bill 2018, in the National Assembly, which extends the jurisdiction of the SC and the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to FATA.

Terming it a milestone and a step towards the eventual merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Dr Nafisa Shah said that it was the vision of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to mainstream FATA with the rest of the country and had he lived, FATA reforms would have been completed long ago.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, she said that the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had a firm commitment to stand with the people of FATA until a complete merger with KP was achieved, including the financial and administrative measures required. She added that the PPP chairman has instructed the parliamentary party to keep up the pressure towards achieving these aims.

The PPP central information secretary further said that former president Asif Ali Zardari began the mainstreaming process with a series of wide-ranging consultations with stakeholders, which led to Extension of Political Parties Act 2012, allowing the political parties to work in FATA. As a result of that, 2013 elections in FATA were contested on party basis for the first time, she added.

She went on to say that the extension of the jurisdiction of the Peshawar High Court will help the people of FATA access fundamental rights, which is the original jurisdiction of the high courts and is, therefore, a very important step towards allowing full rights to the citizens.

Dr Nafisa Shah also praised the struggle of PPP workers from FATA, PPP parliamentarians, members of the parliament from FATA, and of the civil society and other political parties, which led to the passing of the law.

She hoped that the Senate would also follow this through, clearing the way for its enactment in a law at the soonest.