Islamabad: Pakistan president Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday signed a key constitutional amendment bill to merge the restive tribal regions along the Afghan border with the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, bringing an end to the 150-year-old British-era arrangement.

The bill was passed by the National Assembly, the Senate and KP Assembly before being sent to the president for formal approval.

After signing the bill, the president congratulated the people of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Geo TV reported.

The bill amends several articles of the Constitution, including Article 1 that defines the territory of Pakistani federation. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who played a key role in bringing consensus to pass the amendment in the National Assembly, had said that it will "change 150-year-old system in the tribal areas."

These seven districts are home to some eight million residents, mainly ethnic Pashtuns.

Pakistan forces launched repeated military operations to clear the area of rebels and dismantle their hideouts which were used to launch attacks in the country and Afghanistan. </s> The Senate today passed The Constitution Amendment Bill, 2018 with two thirds majority paving the way for merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).

It was moved by Law Minister Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk. Seventy-one members voted in favour of the amendment while five against it. The constitution amendment was passed by the National Assembly yesterday with two thirds majority.

According to the amendment, the number of seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will increase to 145 from 124. FATA will be granted sixteen general seats, four seats for women and one seat for non-Muslims in the provincial assembly. Elections to these seats shall be held within one year after the general elections 2018.

The amendment reduces the number of seats in the National Assembly from three hundred forty-two to three hundred and thirty-six. The members of the National Assembly from FATA to be elected in 2018 election shall continue till dissolution of the Lower House.

According to the constitution amendment, the number of seats of Senate has been reduced to ninety-six from one hundred and four. The existing members of the Senate from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas shall continue till expiry of their respective terms of office.

The constitution amendment also envisages amendments in article 246 and repeals article 247 which place the tribal areas under the command and control of President.

In his remarks on the occasion, the chair congratulated the tribal people over the passage of the bill, saying it will bring them to the national mainstream. He said the Upper House today fulfilled its responsibility and the promises made with the tribal people.

Leader of the Opposition Sherry Rehman described the constitution amendment on FATA’s merger as a historic step in the country’s history. She said this will bring the tribal areas to the fold of constitution. She pointed out that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has a very important role in the whole transition process. She expressed the confidence that women from tribal areas will also be involved in the decision making.

Speaking on the constitution amendment, Mian Raza Rabbani said that tribal people have rendered immense sacrifices in the war on terror. He said the valiant people of tribal areas have always demonstrated their patriotism and love to the country for which they deserve our appreciation.

Azam Swati in his remarks said that the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will help free the tribal areas from the clutches of decades old system. He said this initiative will usher a new era of development in the tribal agencies.

Siraj ul Haq said that the merger will prove to the beneficial both for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. He said this will increase the share of the province in the National Finance Commission.

Maulana Ghafoor Haideri of JUI (F) opposed the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. </s> Islamabad: In a historic move, Pakistan's National Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a key constitutional amendment to merge the restive tribal region along the Afghan border with the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, bringing an end to a 150-year-old British-era arrangement.

After months of delays following disagreements between coalition partners and the opposition over its clauses, Law Minister Mahmood Bashir Virk on Thursday tabled the 31st Amendment Bill 2017 to merge Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The amendment was passed with a 229-1 vote in the house of 342, as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was supported by Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Jamat-e-Islami.

Dawar Kundi from the PTI was the lone dissenting vote who opposed the bill.

Two allies of the government including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) staged a walkout.

The bill amends several Articles of the Constitution including Article 1 that defines the territory of the Pakistani federation.

The number of seats of parliament will decrease once the bill is passed. Senate seats will reduce from 104 to 96 members and the number of seats in the National Assembly will be cut to 336 from 342, as FATA will no longer have separate representation.

The bill will be sent to Senate, the upper house, which is expected to pass it before the end of the week. After this, the bill will be presented to the president who will sign it to become part of the Constitution.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who played a key role in bringing consensus to pass the amendment said in his address to the lawmakers that it was joint effort by all parties, which will "change the 150-year-old system in the tribal areas."

The semi-autonomous tribal region was created by British colonisers as a buffer zone to avoid direct conflict with Afghanistan.

It consists of seven districts — Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai and South Waziristan — which stretch along the border with Afghanistan, and became known in the world due to presence of militants who fled the porous border after US forces invaded Afghanistan post-9/11.

These seven districts are home to some eight million residents, mainly ethnic Pashtuns.

Pakistan forces launched repeated military operations to clear the area of rebels and dismantle their hideouts which were used to launch attack in the country and Afghanistan. </s> Islamabad, June 1 (IANS) Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday signed a constitutional bill to merge the country’s northwest tribal areas with the northwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the media reported.

The President signed the 25th constitutional amendment bill at a ceremony, following which the seven districts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) have now officially become part of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The seven areas of the FATA, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, will now be called districts. The FATA had seven territorial agencies, including Bajaur, Khyber, Orakzai, Mohmand, Kurram, North Waziristan and South Waziristan.

Earlier this month, the National Assembly and the Senate, the lower and upper houses of the parliament, and Khyber-Pakhtumkhwa Assembly passed the bill with the required two-thirds majority and sent the bill to the president for final approval.

On the occasion, the president congratulated the people of the tribal region on becoming part of the province. He hoped that the merger would lead to stability in the region and welfare of the people.

The merger will bring the formerly lawless tribal areas under the jurisdiction of the country’s laws and will give over five million people of the region the same rights as other Pakistanis have.

People of the region will be given representation in the provincial assembly of KP and they will continue to have their representation in the lower and upper houses of the parliament. Under the amendment, total 21 additional provincial assembly seats will be provided to the area.

The Frontier Crimes Regulation that was devised by the British colonial government to control the area has also been finished.

Important taxes, including customs duty and income tax, were not applicable in the tribal areas in the past, but now all taxes will become applicable in the regions. However, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had promised that the regions will be given a tax holiday for five years. </s> The final step in the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was completed on Thursday, after President Mamnoon Hussain signed the 25th Constitutional Amendment Bill into law.

 The bill, approved by parliament as well as the KP Assembly, was signed by the president at a special ceremony. Governor KP Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, head of the FATA Reform Committee Sartaj Aziz, National Security Advisor Lt Gen (Retd) Nasir Khan Janjua and Prime Minister’s Adviser Barrister Zafarullah Khan witnessed the inking of the historic document.

 Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani had forwarded the bill to the president on Tuesday. The Senate of Pakistan had received the bill from the Ministry of Law and Justice after its passage from the KP’s provincial assembly on May 28. Accordingly, the Senate chairman had authenticated the bill and sent it to the president for assent under Article 75 of the Constitution.

 President Mamnoon Hussain felicitated the people of Fata, saying that now they also enjoy the same rights available to other citizens of the country.

 He expressed hope that after the merger with KP, Fata will enter a new era of development and prosperity. The president also expressed the hope that the move would bring greater stability to the region.

 The constitutional amendment bill seeking the merger of Fata within a year’s time had been passed by the National Assembly and the Senate last week amidst opposition by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.

 The Head of the FATA Reforms Committee Sartaj Aziz said following the constitutional amendment the people of the federally administered tribal areas were now mainstreamed and would enjoy equal rights like other citizens of the country.

 He said all the agencies of FATA would now convert into districts and the assistant political agents would now serve as deputy commissioners. He said Rs1 trillion would be spent on the development of the area over a period of next ten years.

 He said of this 25% of the amount would be spent through the local bodies for development of infrastructure in health, education, roads, communications and other projects. He expressed the hope that following the merger the law and order would also be improved. </s> Pakistan's parliament has approved a constitutional amendment to officially merge its restive tribal areas into the mainstream political system, ending colonial-era laws and giving equal rights to its 5 million inhabitants.

The legislation passed on May 24 will attach Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, extend the jurisdiction of Pakistani courts to the region, and increase assistance to residents.

The legislation needs final approval from the Senate and the president’s signature -- seen as formalities after it received overwhelming support in the National Assembly.

Among the colonial-era laws that will be abolished are ones that called for the punishment of an entire tribe if one of its members were found guilty of a crime.

In the 19th century, British colonial rulers sliced out a mountainous region from Afghanistan to be run under a combination of civil laws and local traditions.

The special status continued after Pakistan gained its independence in 1947 to accommodate the wishes of tribesmen divided on either side of the border.

The territory has long been seen as a lawless backwater ruled by hostile tribesmen, left to serve as a buffer zone between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Pakistani army largely regained control of the region in 2014-15, ending much, but not all, of the violence.

The United States has accused Pakistan of allowing the areas to serve as safe havens for militants fighting across the border in Afghanistan, allegations Islamabad has consistently denied.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, The Nation and RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal </s> President Mamnoon Hussain has signed a legislation that merges the country’s tribal regions with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Through the legislation, the government has granted some 5 million people in the regions the same rights as other Pakistanis.

President Mamnoon Hussain signed the 31st Constitutional Amendment at a ceremony in Islamabad on Thursday.

The President has congratulated people of the tribal region on becoming part of the province.

Mamnoon Hussain expressed the confidence that merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would lead to stability in the region.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Barrister Zafarullah and National Security Advisor Nasser Khan Janjua. </s> Pakistan passed legislation Thursday paving the way for its restive tribal areas to enter the mainstream political fold, bringing an ending to a colonial-era arrangement that endorsed collective punishment and fuelled militancy.

The constitutional amendment received broad support from across the political spectrum in the National Assembly, with 229 voting to approve the measure and one voting against it.

The legislation still needs final approval from the senate and the signature of the president — a formality that is all but guaranteed after receiving overwhelming support in the lower house.

The amendment will bring an end to colonial-era laws governing Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), extend the writ of Pakistani courts to its districts and increase development assistance to its residents.

“Today this house has approved a historic bill, which will have very positive effects for Pakistan. I thank the opposition for their support,” Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told legislators after the vote.

Following the passage of the bill, FATA will be officially merged into neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Since the days of the British Raj, the territory has long been seen as a backwater ruled by hostile tribesman that was kept as a buffer zone between Afghanistan and the settled territories that became Pakistan.

Following the 9/11 attacks the tribal belt along the Afghan border became a notorious focal point in the global war on terror, with Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters operating in the area with impunity.

The US has repeatedly accused Pakistan of allowing the tribal areas to host safe havens harbouring militants fighting in Afghanistan — an allegation Islamabad has consistently denied.

FATA residents have long complained its development has been overlooked by authorities, while appointed administrators were able to punish whole tribes for the crimes of an individual.

“Pakistan’s tribal areas have long been neglected. The government has taken this decision very late,” Rahimullah Yusufzai, a regional analyst and an expert on the tribal areas, told AFP.

Yusufzai predicted that implementation of the amendment could take months as Pakistan prepares for elections due this summer, which would leave the reforms in the hands of the incoming government.

The new amendment was largely celebrated across the FATA.

Samiullah Jan, from South Waziristan district, said he hopes the tribal areas will see an increase in development aid.

The seven tribal districts — Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai and South Waziristan — are home to some eight million residents, mainly ethnic Pashtuns. </s> Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan's lower house of Parliament has passed a landmark constitutional amendment extending widespread political, administrative and human rights reforms to the country's northwestern tribal areas, a region that had long been a sanctuary to armed groups.

The constitutional amendment, passed by the National Assembly in the capital, Islamabad, on Thursday, sees the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.

It effectively abolishes draconian colonial-era regulations that the districts had been governed under for decades, making its five million citizens equal citizens of the Pakistani federation.

The amendment will now be presented to the upper house of Parliament and the KP provincial assembly, where it is expected to pass without fuss, before becoming law.

"We needed a national consensus on this issue, and it was achieved," said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi after the bill was passed.

"This is the start of a process, not the end of one. We need to gain the trust of the people of FATA, and that trust will not come just through words ... but the biggest need right now is the lack of development in FATA needs to be addressed. [...] We have to give the people of FATA the same schools, the same colleges, the same universities, the same hospitals, the same roads and the system as is available to everyone else in Pakistan. There should be no difference there."

FATA, once the headquarters of the Pakistan Taliban and a sanctuary for al-Qaeda, has seen a series of Pakistani military operations launched since 2008 to retake the area from armed groups. The last such operation was launched in 2014, displacing the Taliban from the North Waziristan tribal district.

The United States and Afghanistan allege that Pakistan still provides sanctuary to armed groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network, a charge that Pakistan denies.

Since Pakistan gained independence from the British in 1947, the country has continued to govern the seven tribal districts along its border with Afghanistan by direct rule from the capital, with each district ruled by a "Political Agent" (PA) appointed by the president.

The PA holds nearly absolute power in their tribal districts, where they are responsible for all government services, as well as serving judicial functions.

The constitutional amendment sees all seven districts merged into northwestern KP province, with political agents replaced by an accompanying extension of the provincial and federal government's power to deliver government services, including healthcare, education and policing.

All Pakistani laws, including criminal and penal codes, have been extended to the tribal districts, which earlier were governed under colonial-era criminal regulations.

FATA's five million citizens will also have access to fundamental rights under the Constitution, and will be able to vote for representatives in the provincial and national assemblies.

The amendment effectively abolishes the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), a draconian British law that left citizens of the tribal areas with no recourse to courts and liable to be subjected to collective punishment for the crimes of tribe members.

Opposition backs bill

Introducing reforms to FATA has long been a priority for the country's government, led by the ruling PML-N party, which has lauded the passage of the constitutional amendment as a landmark achievement.

Thursday's vote was the culmination of a legislative and consultative process that lasted more than two years. The government is due to complete its term by May 31, with the national and provincial assemblies to dissolve a day later, in advance of a general election in late July.

Last year, the federal cabinet passed a plan to introduce the reforms, but the passage of the constitutional amendment was held up by opposition parties.

Some parties, such as the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), demanded a more detailed plan from the government, while others, including the right-wing religious Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) (JUI-F) demanded a referendum on the issue.

On Thursday, the PPP and PTI voted for the amendment, which was prepared in consultation with the opposition, while the JUI-F opposed the move. It was passed by 229-1 votes in the 342-member house.

"It is very gratifying that this house has come together to finally end a colonial system ... it was never acceptable that people in our country were second-class citizens, who ... did not have the same rights as us," said opposition PPP leader Naveed Qamar.

"The whole country will now be governed under the same rights and the same administrative systems."

PTI chief Imran Khan, whose party rules KP province, made a rare appearance in parliament to vote for the amendment.

The constitutional reforms will be accompanied by an $865m package to be allocated to a 10-year plan aimed at rehabilitating and reconstructing infrastructure, including communications, power lines, water supply schemes, education and health facilities in the tribal areas.

Pakistan's tribal areas consistently rank among the lowest on the country's human development indicators, according to UNDP data.

Most districts remain bereft of basic services such as healthcare, schools, clean water supply and, cut off from the country's mainstream, with no mobile phone service reception or internet availability.

The military operations, conducted over the last decade, forced most of the tribal areas' five million residents to become internally displaced within Pakistan. Many have not resettled in their homes, given the lack of basic services, and continuing security operations and military deployments in the region.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeera's Digital Correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim.
The National Assembly of Pakistan votes a constitutional amendment merging the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This will abolish colonial-era rules and provide the five million people from the tribal areas with equal rights as the other people of Pakistan. The measure is expected to pass the next stages without fuss.