ISLAMABAD: The opposition on Thursday staged a walkout from the National Assembly (NA), taking a strong exception to the government’s delaying tactics to introduce the much-awaited FATA reforms bill.
The federal cabinet on March 2 approved the recommendations for a merger of FATA with tribal areas but nothing solid has been done regarding the issue ever since.
NA Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi asked the members of the opposition to speak first, as the NA session began today after being adjourned on Tuesday due to a lack of quorum, NA Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi asked the members of the opposition to speak first.
Opposition Leader Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Khursheed Shah said that the government does not want to go ahead with the proposed merger, reiterating that it’s high time that people of the tribal areas were given their due rights.
Chief of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami League Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that everyone wants this issue to be resolved now but the ministries do not have a proper understanding of this matter.
A Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader said the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) in the tribal areas should be abolished before any such merger is set in place and a separate governor should also be appointed for FATA.
He also said that a committee should ideally be formed where all stakeholders could debate the matter.
The opposition members walked out saying that they will not attend the NA sessions any further before the merger bill is passed.
