ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Bajaur Agency on Friday.
PM’s Special Adviser Iftikhar Durrani in a video message said, “The federal government is standing with its tribal brothers.”
“PM will visit Bajur agency where he will address to people of the area and will make important announcements,” he added.
This will be PM Imran’s first visit to the tribal areas after their merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On May 28, 2018, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly passed the landmark 31st amendment bill with a two-thirds majority to merge Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with KP.
The bill, presented by KP Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi, after detailed discussion in the extraordinary session of the provincial assembly, got 92 votes in favour out of the required 83 for a two-thirds majority, and seven were cast against it.
While expressing views on the amendment bill, MPAs from Malakand Division reminded that the bill had led to abolishing of Article 247, which also caused erasing of some privileges and incentives for the people of Provincially Administrative Tribal Areas (PATA). They asked the chief minister to take up the matter with the federal government as PATA was also badly affected by terrorism in the recent past like FATA.
These relaxations and incentives included Shariah Regulations 2009 and exemption from every sort of taxes.