Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunhwa (KP) Mahmood Khan on Monday announced that government employees in the erstwhile FATA areas will be given permanent status. The announcement came after the KP Assembly gave approval to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Regularization of Services in Erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas Bill, 2022. Under the bill, the temporary employees working on various projects in FATA will get a permanent status.
It is pertinent to mention here that the 25th Amendment was passed by the Parliament in May 2018, allowing merged of FATA areas into KP province. Recently, the Supreme Court summoned replies from the federation and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government with regard to the merger of FATA, under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution.
A bench of the apex court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial was hearing a petition challenging the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The petitioners opined that the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) could become a separate province instead of merger with KP,” the court observed. “They said due to their minority they could not enjoy their traditional freedom,” Justice Bandial said. “FATA was a part of the federation. The parliament, which has supreme power, has decided its merger,” Justice Bandial remarked.—INP
