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Fata Reforms Bill: Abbasi, Nawaz agree to address reservations of all parties

By News Desk
December 22, 2017

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday held a meeting with Nawaz Sharif and agreed to address the reservations of all political parties -- including JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman -- over the Fata Reforms Bill.

During the meeting held at Nawaz's Jati Umra residence, political situation of the country was also discussed along with preparations for the upcoming general elections. It was decided to increase the interaction with the public and party workers before the elections.

The former prime minister said his party was willing to make sacrifices for the cause of democracy. “[We] are ready to make any sacrifice for democracy," the PML-N president said. Nawaz said accountability in the present situation seemed to be unlikely and a strong parliament would lead to strong institutions. Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior PML-N leaders also attended the meeting.

The issue of Fata’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains one of the pending matters for the incumbent government and has dominated the political discourse of the country in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, the Fata Supreme Council held a meeting with Abbasi and said the citizens of the region want to maintain their separate identity. The matter of merger was left unresolved after the meeting. Fazl, meanwhile, has conditionally agreed to support the proposal of Fata's merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said consultations on the reforms bill would continue.