ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence will visit South Waziristan on Dec 23 to receive a briefing on the security situation and development activities in the tribal district.

During the visit, the members of the committee, headed by Amjid Ali Khan of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), are also scheduled to visit Sholam Hospital, Cadet College and Agri Park in Wana, according to the itinerary issued by the National Assembly Secretariat.

The area which has now been merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along with seven other districts of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) has two National Assembly constituencies represented by Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement-backed independent MNA Ali Wazir and Jamaluddin of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F).

Security situation, uplift projects to be reviewed

The two MNAs, however, are not members of the committee.

Another independent MNA from North Waziristan Mohsin Dawar, while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly during its last session, had raised the issue of poor law and order situation in his constituency and said terrorism had returned to the area.

Prominent members of the committee are Tahir Sadiq and Dr Ramesh Kumar Venkwani of the PTI, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Chaudhry Barjees Tahir and Riaz Hussain Pirzada of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Aftab Shahban Mirani and Amer Magsi of the Pakistan Peoples Party. Defence Minister Pervez Khattak is an ex-officio member of the committee.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2021