Cabinet to approve new bill for FATA: sources
The new bill will be approved in place of the Tribal Areas Rewaj Bill, 2017
September 12, 2017
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government on Tuesday decided to approve a new bill to make the country's laws applicable to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), sources informed Geo News.
The new bill, which will be approved in place of the Tribal Areas Rewaj Bill, 2017, will abolish the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and extend the jurisdiction of the Peshawar High Court and Supreme Court to the region.
The Frontier Crimes Regulations, 1901, known as a black law is a remnant of the colonial rule. It assigns the Fata people few ‘human rights’ and neither can they claim any other status, privilege, or position conferred upon other citizens of Pakistan through the Constitution.
Amnesty International has described the Frontier Crimes Regulation, 1901 (FCR), as being deeply flawed. It does not ensure the protection of human rights as given by the Constitution of Pakistan, nor those covered under Pakistan’s international obligations as a state party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The government, with the approval of the federal cabinet, presented the Tribal Areas Rewaj Bill 2017 in the National Assembly earlier this year in May.
However, the bill was sent to the standing committee after the government's coalition partners Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Chairman of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Mehmood Khan Achakzai opposed it.
The decision to implement Pakistani laws in FATA was taken after consultations were held between the top military and government officials in the past week.
After the new bill is approved by Parliament, it will ensure the implementation of Article 247 (5), which empowers the President to make regulation for peace and good governance in FATA.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday, while chairing a national committee session on the implementation of FATA reforms, said the reforms seek to improve the conditions of the tribal areas and its residents.
It was decided during the meeting to appoint a chief operating officer for FATA. The COO will be appointed on a temporary basis, informed the committee.
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, also in attendance, said that the government has achieved huge success in establishing its writ in FATA and added the Army will play its part in ensuring peace and a stable border security system in the region.
The recommendations to bring FATA at par with the rest of the country were approved at the Cabinet meeting on FATA reforms on March 2.
Once FATA is made part of KP, the province's share in the National Finance Commission will increase, as 3 per cent will be earmarked for the region.
The KP Assembly had adopted a resolution on December 14, 2016, in favour of merging FATA with KP that would help rehabilitate and reconstruct the infrastructure including roads, communications, power lines, water supply, education and health facilities.
