ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khan Abbasi on Thursday said federal and provincial governments were unanimously committed for mainstreaming of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure its development.
Talking to a delegation (jirga) of youth wings of political parties belonging to FATA, the PM said the high-level implementation committee on FATA reforms was making speedy progress on constitutional, administrative and legal matters.
The delegation said setting aside political affiliations, the people and youth of FATA demanded mainstreaming of FATA on a fast-track basis and its merger with KPK.
The delegation thanked the PM for inviting the representative of youth from FATA at the PM House and providing them an opportunity to present their point of view on important national issue.
They stressed that FATA’s merger must not be delayed on behest of a few people and the matter must be settled on an urgent basis.
The meeting was organised by a journalist who informed the PM that it was the right of people of FATA to get facilities at a par with the rest of the country.
Federal Minister for SAFRON Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch attended the meeting.
The FATA youth delegation comprised representatives from Muslim Students Federation, Insaf Students, Qaumi Watan Party Youth Wing, Islami Jamiat Talaba, FATA Students Organization, Khyber Students Organization and other organizations.
Separately, PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Thursday that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a great opportunity for Pakistan, adding it needed to be fully exploited to achieve its fullest potential.
Talking to a group of post-graduate students from School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid-e-Azam University, who visited the PM’s Office, to discuss Pakistan’s foreign relations, he said ties with China were based on historical relations which were far beyond the economic relations. The Prime Minister said in general economic ties lead to political diplomacy.
In response to a question, the PM said Kashmir was a long-standing issue which needs to be resolved in line with the UN resolutions.
While addressing the issue of energy shortage, the PM said that the government had shifted dependence from furnace oil to gas for power generation as it was a much cheaper option. Earlier, Special Assistant to the PM Ali J Siddiqui and MNA Shiza Fatima briefed the students regarding executive branch of the government and working of the PM’s Office.
Published in Daily Times, November 17th 2017.
