Rewaj Bill finalized as per FATA people’s desires: Zahid Hamid

ISLAMABAD, May 6 (APP): Federal Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid has said that the Rewaj Bill 2017 has been finalized in line with the wishes of the people of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) giving full protection to their rewaj (traditions) as well as bringing them in the national mainstream by introducing normal system.
The minister, in a statement here Saturday, said the prime minister had constituted a high level committee to come up with a concrete reform package to alleviate the miseries of the FATA people.
He said the committee took up the challenging task and started its work from the grassroots level. The people of FATA were involved in the process, and their views and suggestions were taken right at their doorsteps.
It held a series of meetings with various tribes in in FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including their elders, and came up with a pragmatic, imperative and meaningful reforms package, he added.
Zahid Hamid said the draft of the Rewaj Bill 2017 had been finalized keeping the bond of FATA people with their rewaj in focus. The bill would protect the rewaj and at the same provide recourse to high court and Supreme Court, he added.
He said mainstreaming of FATA was recommended for which necessary legislation would be done. The prime minister had approved the introduction of the Tribal Areas Rewaj Bill, 2017 in the National Assembly, he added.
He said proper judicial system would be introduced wherein the role of tribal jirga had been duly legalized. “The black provisions of FCR are proposed to be deleted and all fundamental rights are to be provided effectively,” he added.
The minister said the peculiar feature of proposed law was the flexibility for its gradual implementation so that the gradual development on ground matched the legal reform.
Another important recommendation, he said, was allocation of 3% of the federal divisible pool on annual basis for 10 years in addition to existing PSDP allocation of Rs 21 billion. It would provide extra fiscal space for implementing the reform package on ground and there would be no financial constraints, he added.