PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Wednesday asked the federal government to reconstitute the Fata reforms committee and include the provincial chief minister, lith Corps commander and chief secretary in it.

In a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak here, the provincial cabinet proposed to give the PRC the status of the Cabinet Implementation Committee and integrate the Directorate of Transition and Reforms with the provincial government to properly coordinate and monitor process of reforms in the tribal belt.

It suggested that the prime minister head the PRC and hold its meeting on quarterly basis to review the pace of Fata reforms.

Public health engineering minister Shah Farman later told reporters that the provin-cial government had reservations about the reforms meant for the mainstreaming of Fata as well as the package approved by the federal cabinet for the purpose feeling they would strengthen the existing system in tribal areas.

Thefederalcabinethadapprovedtherecommendations of the six-member committee for Fata reforms on March 2.

`The KP government wants complete territorial, legal and administrative merger of Fata with KP,` he said.

Mr Farman said the recommendations of the federal cabinet would be challenged in the Supreme Court if the KP government`s reservationsaboutthemwerenotaddressed.

`The merger of Fata with our province without giving legal and administrative authority to the provincial government is unacceptable,` he said, adding that reforms in the current shape were against the spirit of provincial autonomy.

The minister said all powers had been delegated to the governor in the proposed Fata reforms package and a BPS-22 chief executive, who would oversee development activities in the region.

He said the provincial government had unfairly been denied the role in the Governor`s Advisory Council.cial government had reservations about the reforms meant for the mainstreaming of Fata as well as the package approved by the federal cabinet for the purpose feeling they would strengthen the existing system in tribal areas.

Thefederalcabinethadapprovedtherecommendations of the six-member committee for Fata reforms on March 2.

`The KP government wants complete territorial, legal and administrative merger of Fata with KP,` he said.

Mr Farman said the recommendations of the federal cabinet would be challenged in the Supreme Court if the KP government`s reservationsaboutthemwerenotaddressed.

`The merger of Fata with our province without giving legal and administrative authority to the provincial government is unacceptable,` he said, adding that reforms in the current shape were against the spirit of provincial autonomy.

The minister said all powers had been delegated to the governor in the proposed Fata reforms package and a BPS-22 chief executive, who would oversee development activities in the region.

He said the provincial government had unfairly been denied the role in the Governor`s Advisory Council.cial government had reservations about the reforms meant for the mainstreaming of Fata as well as the package approved by the federal cabinet for the purpose feeling they would strengthen the existing system in tribal areas.

Thefederalcabinethadapprovedtherecommendations of the six-member committee for Fata reforms on March 2.

`The KP government wants complete territorial, legal and administrative merger of Fata with KP,` he said.

Mr Farman said the recommendations of the federal cabinet would be challenged in the Supreme Court if the KP government`s reservationsaboutthemwerenotaddressed.

`The merger of Fata with our province without giving legal and administrative authority to the provincial government is unacceptable,` he said, adding that reforms in the current shape were against the spirit of provincial autonomy.

The minister said all powers had been delegated to the governor in the proposed Fata reforms package and a BPS-22 chief executive, who would oversee development activities in the region.

He said the provincial government had unfairly been denied the role in the Governor`s Advisory Council.Mr Farman said currently, Fata was indirectly administered by the KP government as all employees and of ficer s were sent f rom the province to tribal areas on deputation.

He said the PML-N government in the centre wanted to maintain status quo in Fata in the name of mainstreaming.

The minister said the PML-N wanted to get 23 MPAs from Fata elected to the provincial assembly in the next general elections to bring own chief minister in the province.

He said normally, a candidate from Fata reached the National Assembly by polling 5,000 votes, while the MPA would get elected by securing 2,500 votes only.

`In this way, the PML-N wants to gain majority in the next assembly and form own government,` he added.

Mr Farman said the MPAs from Fata would have no role except participation in the chief minister`s election.

He said under the proposed formula, Fata people would elect 18 MPAs on general seats, three women and one minority memberonreserved seats.

The minister said the KP government had already sent a letter to the federal government highlighting flaws in the Fata reforms package for corrective measures and hadplans to send another soon.

`Ironically, the MPAs to be elected from tribal areas will have no role in legislations for own areas. They will cast their vote to elect the chief minister only,` he said, adding that the PML-N had planned to bring own next chief minister in the province through the next elections.

`We believe that the reforms package in the name of the mainstreaming of Fata is a conspiracy against the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf,` he said.

Mr Farman claimed that the PTI continued to be popular in KP due to its government`s good performance but the PML-N was hatching conspiracy against it.

He said the cabinet approved the additional grant to purchase five SUVs of 2,700cc vehicles for the Peshawar High Court and that the chief minister had approved a summary in Sept 2016 for the release of Rs28 million in this respect.

The minister said those vehicles would be provided to the district and sessions judges in remote areas like Kohistan, Shangla, Torghar and Upper Dir.

He said the cabinet also approved the division of Kohistan into three districts and sanctioned the creation of new tehsils in different districts.