ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s lower house of parliament on Monday passed a Constitution Amendment Bill seeking an increase in the number of seats for the National Assembly (NA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP) provincial assembly, following a merger of the tribal areas with the province.
Mohsin Dawar, a MNA from the North Waziristan tribal district, tabled the 26th amendment bill which was unanimously backed by the government and the opposition.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, who attended the NA proceedings, thanked the political parties for reaching a consensus on the matter.
“Development should always be inclusive. Areas that are left behind should also be brought up,” he said, adding that there was a dire need for better facilities and infrastructure in the militancy-hit tribal districts.
Going forward, the legislation needs a final approval from the Senate and the president, as a constitutional formality.
Last year in May, the NA – through a constitutional amendment bill – had allowed the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with the KP province.
Dawar's bill proposed to increase the number of National Assembly seats for representatives of tribal districts from six to 12, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly seats from 16 to 24.