Govt to work for ensuring provision of share to FATA in NFC award: Imran

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said the government would play its due role for ensuring provision of share to the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) in the National Finance Commission award.

“Following the merger of the Fata the administrative and other matters should be resolved in such a manner that people should not face any difficulties,” he said while chairing a meeting in Islamabad about progress on administrative and other matters subsequent to the merger of the Fata with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The meeting was briefed that a number of departments of the Fata Secretariat had been transferred to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

“These departments include education, Zakat, Ushar, social welfare and population welfare; whereas process of shifting other departments is under way,” he was told.

For the development of the areas merged with KP, a special committee led by Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been formed to prepare a ten-year plan.

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Last month, tribal leaders asked the premier to provide three percent of the NFC award to the Fata as soon as possible.

Imran had assured them to soon give them three percent of share from the NFC after devising a mechanism of providing this allocation a constitutional protection.

They also asked the premier to increase the number of members of provincial assemblies in Fata areas from 16 to 24.

Imran said development in tribal areas was the top priority of the government and the government was striving to complete the merger process without any further delay.

He said the tribal people had faced many difficulties and concerned officers should set their direction to play their due role in solving such problems.

The prime minister said tribal people had the right on the minerals and these should be spent on the construction and development of the area.

He said the government was also striving to establish the local government system in the Fata.