The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday decided to form a larger bench on petitions against the 25th Amendment regarding the integration of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) areas.
FATA was officially merged with KP after former president Mamnoon Hussain (late) assented to the 25th Amendment on May 31, 2018.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heard the case. During the proceedings, the apex court said that the petitioners have raised the question of not changing the status of federal units in the Constitution.
“What are the powers and limits for amending the Constitution of the parliament?” the apex court asked adding that it was an important point.
Attorney-General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan prayed that it was important to determine the extent to which the Parliament can amend the Constitution.
“If the integration of an area impedes the rights of its residents, then the question of federal units may arise,” the AGP said.
CJP Bandial asked if the integration of the erstwhile tribal areas affected the representation of the area residents in the Provincial and National Assemblies; to which the AGP replied that the biggest issue after the 25th Amendment was that of FATA representatives in the respective assemblies. “Representatives of FATA supported the 25th Amendment,”.
