Pak tribal areas merge with KP as Prez signs constitution amendment bill
31 May 2018 3:53 PM GMT
Islamabad: Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday signed a key constitutional amendment bill to merge restive tribal region 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."
The semi-autonomous tribal region was created by British colonizer 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.
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