ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Friday passed the Supreme Court and Peshawar High Court (Extension of Jurisdiction to Federally Administered Tribal Areas) Bill 2017.

The bill was tabled by Minister for Law and Justice Mehmood Bashir Virk which was passed by the house after clause by clause reading.

Statement of Objects and Reasons of this bill says" In order to bring the people of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into the mainstream in according with their wishes and aspiration, it is necessary that the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and Peshawar High Court should extended to such areas for safeguarding their rights and providing them proper administration of justice in accordance with the constitution".

Minister for SAFRON Adbul Qadir Baloch gave credit to the PML-N government for passing the bill as ’per aspirations of people from FATA’.

He said the bill will pave way for speedy justice for people as no other party during the last 70 years considered about it.

Leader of the Opposition Khursheed Shah termed passage of the bill ‘historic moment and a step forward to bring the FATA into mainstream’.— APP