The National Assembly (NA) created history by passing the 31st Constitutional Amendment Bill 2017, paving the way for the much-awaited merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The bill seeks to amend Article 1 of the constitution, which defines the country’s territory and mentioned Fata as a separate entity along with the other four provinces. Alongside this, Articles 51 and 59 are also to be amended, which specify the number of seats allocated to each of the federating units in national and provincial assemblies, and the Senate.
The historic bill has been passed with a consensus of the treasury and opposition members and now it has been proven that consensus can be formed on the issues of national importance.
Shaheena M Yousuf
Karachi