Imran Khan and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan briskly exchanged greetings on Thursday and had a brief encounter in National Assembly while the house passed landmark bill to merge FATA with KP.
Leaders belonging to the rival parties passed smiles and nodded at each other. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) quickly passed from near Nisar and went on his way.
Moreover, Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed – who is a close ally of the PTI – even hugged the estranged lawmaker of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). He conversed with Nisar for a longer time.
In a historic move, the National Assembly passed the 31st Constitutional Amendment Bill 2017 with a 229-1 vote, paving the way for the much-awaited merger of the FATA with KP.
Members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), who had vehemently opposed the legislation, walked out of the session ahead of the vote. The sole dissenting vote was of Dawar Kundi of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
A session of the Senate has been summoned on Friday to consider the bill for approval.