PESHAWAR (ENN) A session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly began here on Sunday in which the KP-FATA merger bill was passed amid protest by JUI.
Seven JUI members opposed the bill. The session held to vote for the bill is being presided over by KP assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, where Chief Minister KP Pervaiz Khattak was also present.
At the beginning of the session, minority lawmaker Baldev Kumar took oath administered by speaker assembly.
The House proceeded to discuss the bill, where Jamaat-e-Islami’s parliamentary leader Anayatullah addressed the assembly.
The JI lawmaker said that Malakand should be given an extensible tax amnesty for 10 years and rs100 billion annual development package should be given to KP similar as FATA.
Earlier, protesters clashed with police outside the KP assembly over the merger bill. The police are said to have baton-charged the protesters to stop them from entering the assembly building. The police also shelled tear-gas and used water cannons to disperse the protesters.
However, the protesters, who are reported to be members of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl, pelted stones at the police officers.
Five people sustained minor injuries while as many as 20 people have been detained.
The JUI-F lawmakers had reached the assembly building here on Sunday morning to besiege it in protest.
In wake of the situation, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government approached the lawmakers to resolve the building crisis.
It has been learnt that 24 MPAs from Malakand Division have expressed their reservations over the content of the bill.
The PATA lawmakers maintain that inclusion of PATA in FATA-KP merger is unjustifiable, and if the government wants to change the status of PATA it should announce a monetary package for the area.
