- Seventy-one senators supported the constitutional amendment, while five voted against it
- Senators from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party walked out in protest against the merger
A day after Pakistan’s lower house of Parliament, the National Assembly, passed a constitutional amendment merging the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Senate on Friday passed the bill.
Seventy-one senators supported the constitutional amendment, while five voted against it. Senators from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party walked out in protest against the merger.
Sen. Raza Rabbani termed the passage of the bill a “historic” development. On Thursday, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told the National Assembly that passage of the bill shows that political parties are on the same page on important national issues.
“Both the treasury and opposition benches showed great spirit by supporting the government to enact the legislation,” he said.