ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has directed the law and justice minister to adopt fast track legislative and administrative measures to brining the people of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to the mainstream so that can have access to the fundamental rights on a par with the people in the rest of the country.
Chairing a meeting of the National Committee on the Implementation of FATA reforms here on Friday, the premier reiterated that the basic purpose of the FATA reforms was to improve the lives of tribesmen, who have suffered enormously due to a long war, insurgency and widespread displacement in the past three decades.
The committee approved the fast track recruitment of police and redeployment of some of the Frontier Constabulary. It was also decided to put in place an appropriate administrative mechanism for the transition period. It was also decided to create a position of a chief operating officer for the period of transition.
Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, SAFRON Minister Lieutenant General (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Sartaj Aziz and senior civil and military officials attended the meeting.
The committee noted with satisfaction the positive response in parliament and in the tribal areas for the FATA reforms package, which was approved by the cabinet on March 2. The committee also took many decisions to expedite the process of implementation.
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa briefed the committee on the success achieved in extending the writ of the state throughout the FATA and on the steps taken to strengthen security and border infrastructure as well as the development efforts during the last few years.
Published in Daily Times, September 9th 2017.
