It had been finally decided that the Federally Administered Tribal Areas will be merged with the KPK ending the special status of the territories between Pakistan and Afghanistan which the British India used as ‘No Man’s Land’. It was formally confirmed by the Army Chief and the KPK Governor in separate announcement/statements. The issue was dropped from the Agenda of the Federal Cabinet following a request from the Ministry of Finance seeking time to finance this political and constitutional project of the Federal Government. It is also a good news that the three Federating Units –KPK, Sindh and the Punjab—had agreed to donate one per cent share from their National Finance Commission Award to the Federal Government in financing the project to merge FATA territories with the KPK. It is a welcome move that the fundamental and democratic rights of the FATA people are being restored with the merger with KPK making the region as part of the national mainstream. They will also enjoy the basic constitutional, political and democratic rights like their fellow Pakistanis though after 70 long years. Besides the constitutional rights, the FATA will also be getting civic rights with all facilities, including health, education and civic services. The Provincial Government will give priority to accelerated development process in FATA by establishing schools, hospitals, roads, community centre and extending better civic services and amenities for the people in all areas without any discrimination. We hope that a politician from FATA will be elected as Chief Minister of the extended Province and all the political parties and groups will support a consensus candidate as Chief Minister in the first democratic elections after the merger. It will augur well for the Province and its people.

It is not out of context to suggest that the annexed territories from Afghanistan now made part of Balochistan should also be merged with the bigger KPK during the present process.  It is the destiny of the annexed territories and thus it should be merged now than at later stages because the Baloch never claimed the territories and its resources. The British colonial rulers merged the annexed territories with Balochistan to fulfill their imperialist designs. They should have been made part of FATA or another Tribal agency on the Afghan border.  They had no link or connection with the Baloch people, to say the least. After reviving the historic provinces following disintegration of One Unit, the areas were again retained and it was made part of Balochistan against the will and aspirations of the Baloch people. It was a disservice to the country and the people, mainly to Balochistan by the military Junta that captured power and made the imprudent decision to retain the annexed territory in Balochistan or retained disharmony and distrust among the people as a deliberate and sinister move.  There should be only one Province or single Federating Unit for the Pakhtuns and there should be no multiple representation of the Pakhtun from more than one province.  Thus retaining the annexed territories in Balochistan lost all past justifications and now it should be made part of bigger and more powerful KPK. Since the merger decision is being upheld by the Pakistani State and its powerful establishment, Maulana Fazlur Rehman dropped its opposition reading the writings on the wall. Now there is no option for Mahmood Khan Achakzai to remain on sideline and keep quiet as he can ill afford to oppose the decision of the State and its powerful establishment. He had no stakes in FATA thus he continues to remain a local player in politics and thus loosing nothing in the present circumstances.  He will remain effective in Quetta and its surroundings only as an ally of Nawaz Sharif.