ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Lt Gen (retired) Abdul Qadir Baloch Friday asked lawmakers to reach consensus on the Riwaj Bill after Eidul Fitr.

The minister stated this, while briefing the National Assembly Committee on Safron, which met with Mohammad Jamaluddin MNA from Orakzai Agency here at the Parliament building. Baloch said that the bill was deferred to be further discussed with the stakeholders.

The minister briefed the committee on the progress made by the federal government on the Fata reforms.

He added that the cabinet had approved previous recommendations, and the process of implementing the 26-point agenda had begun.

“Holding provincial elections in the Fata by 2018 is the only point of concern for the government right now,” Baloch added.

The minister formally asked lawmakers from the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) for their final recommendations for the Riwaj Bill, which seeks to bring Fata into the mainstream. He added that the current Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) system in the Fata would cease to exist following the approval of Fata reforms.

Baloch further claimed to have collected recommendations by reaching out to all agencies, which led to the creation of the 26-point agenda.  Criticising the opposition, he said the Fata reforms issue was being unnecessarily complicated.  “The opponents are sometimes seen with Asif Zardari and other times with Imran Khan,” he maintained.

MNA from Fata Bismillah Khan complained that the people of the Fata did not want to become a part of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, adding that conducting the provincial elections in 2018 would create further problems.