ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday deliberated upon
the Fata reforms issue and granted ex-post facto approval to the
formation of National Implementation Committee on Fata Reforms, besides
converting the committee into a cabinet body in order to expedite the
process of mainstreaming the restive tribal areas.
Sources
told Dawn that the decision to convert the already-constituted
committee under Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi into a cabinet level
body was aimed at providing sanctity to its decisions and would help
expedite the process.
Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir
Khan, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Sartaj Aziz, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak
and the Peshawar corps commander have also been included in the
high-level implementation committee headed by Prime Minister Shahid
Khaqan Abbasi and Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.
The
sources said the prime minister had reiterated the government’s
commitment to abolishing the Frontier Crimes Regulations from the
Federally Administered Tribal Areas as a first step towards bringing the
war-torn tribal region on a par with other developing areas of the
country.
The sources said that so far no decision had
been taken for immediate merger of Fata with KP and the cabinet had
decided to take steps in this direction after consultation with all the
stakeholders.
According to the sources, the cabinet
decided to take steps for implementation of a resolution passed by the
Senate seeking enhancement of its role and powers to protect the rights
of the provinces and provide a meaningful participation to the provinces
and other territories in the affairs of the federation.
The
cabinet also approved an amendment to the Schedule of FIA Act, 1974,
aimed at bringing the offences of blasphemy and pornography under the
ambit of Prevention of Electronic Crime Act, 2016.
