ISLAMABAD: Nawaz Sharif led PMLN government has decided not to merge FATAwith KP, after a year-long debate in the parliament on much-awaited mergerof the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwaprovince.
The government on Wednesday passed the buck to the next government on thedecision regarding the controversial issue.
It is believed that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) madethis decision apparently to avoid annoyance of its two allies — JamiatUlema-i-Islam-F (JUI-F) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) — whengeneral elections are just around the corner. JUI-F emir Maulana FazlurRehman and PkMAP president Mehmood Khan Achakzai have been stronglyopposing the merger plan on the pretext that it is against the will of Fatapeople.
On the other hand, major opposition parties — the Pakistan Peoples Partyand the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) — are in favour of the merger.
Minister for States and Frontier Region (Safron) retd Lt Gen Abdul QadirBaloch told the National Assembly on Wednesday that the coming governmentwould execute the merger of tribal areas with KP.
“No legislation is being made in this regard and the present status of Fatawill remain intact,” he added.