The high
level National Committee on the Implementation of FATA Reforms met today in
Islamabad under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Other members
of the Committee who attended the meeting included Chief of the Army Staff
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mr. Iqbal Zafar Jhagra,
Chief Minister KPK Mr. Parvez Khattak, Minister for SAFRON Lt. Gen (R) Abdul
Qadir Baloch, Minister for Law & Justice Mr. Zahid Hamid, Deputy Chairman
Planning Commission Mr. Sartaj Aziz and senior civil and military officials.
The Committee
noted with satisfaction the positive response in the Parliament and in the
Tribal Areas for the FATA Reform Package which was approved by the Cabinet on
2nd March 2017.
The Committee
took many decisions to expedite the process of implementation. The Prime
Minister directed the Minister for Law and Justice to fast track legislative
and administrative measures for the mainstreaming of FATA so that the people of
FATA can have access to the fundamental rights at par with the people in the
rest of Pakistan.
The Committee
approved the fast track recruitment of Police and redeployment of some of the
Frontier Constabulary, after training, to perform police functions. 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 Chief Operating
Officer for the period of transition.
Chief of Army
Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa briefed the Committee on the successes achieved
in extending the writ of state throughout FATA and on the steps taken to
strengthen security and border infrastructure as well as the development
efforts during the last few years.
The Prime
Minister in his remarks reiterated that the basic purpose of these reforms was
to improve the lives of the people of FATA who have suffered enormously due to a
long war, insurgency and widespread displacement in the past three decades.