National Security Committee at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in Islamabad has expressed the resolve that Pakistan would continue to play its role for peace and security in the region and beyond, reported by Radio Pakistan.

The resolve came in response to a briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the committee on the regional and global security.

The Committee expressed satisfaction on the principled stand taken by Pakistan on Kashmir and Palestine and its articulation at various world forums.

The National Security Committee weighed all the pros and cons in detail and endorsed the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the administrative and judicial institutional structures and laws of the province would be introduced.

The Prime Minister apprised the meeting that his consultations on the issue with leaders of other political parties in the parliament had reflected a broad consensus on the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Committee directed the ministries concerned to work out the constitutional, legal and administrative modalities for the merger in consultation with all parties in the parliament.

It also endorsed the provision of additional development funds for FATA region during the next ten years with the stipulation that these funds would not be re-appropriated to any other area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Sartaj Aziz and the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan briefed the committee on reform proposals for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.