ISLAMABAD: The 31st amendment will not only merge the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) but it will also merge the Provincial Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) with their respective provinces of Balochistan and KP, reported a local English newspaper.
According to the draft of the amendment, parts of PATA in Malakand Division will be merged into KP while of parts of PATA in Balochistan will be merged with the said province.
FATA will be merged into KP by amending Article 246 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
According to Article 247, the president will be the new executive authority for FATA and the post of governor for PATA will be entirely omitted. The clause gives the president the authority to restrict or extend laws to PATA or FATA wherever he deems it essential, while it also nullifies the power of jurisdiction of the supreme and high courts into the tribal areas.
