Anti Terrorism Ordinance 2009 Extended to PATA of NWFP

Pakistan: Anti Terrorism Ordinance 2009 extended to PATA of NWFP, President Asif Ali Zardari on the advice of the Prime Minister has approved the extension of the Anti Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2009 to Provincial Administered Tribal Areas of NWFP in terms of Article 247 of the Constitution. Giving the background, Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the Anti Terrorism Act 1997 was extended to PATA in 2002 as per the provision of Article 247 of the Constitution.
The Anti Terrorism Act 1997 has since been amended through Anti Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2009. The NWFP Provincial Government with the approval of the Governor NWFP recently decided to extend the Anti Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2009 to PATA as well. Under Article 247 of the Constitution, no Act of Parliament or Provincial Assembly shall apply to a Provincially Administered Tribal Area (PATA) or any part thereof unless the Governor of Province, in which the Tribal Area is situated, with the approval of the President, so directs.
Accordingly, the President approved the extension of the Anti Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2009 to PATA in the light of the decision of the provincial government of NWFP and the advice of the Prime Minister tendered under the Rules of Business 1973, he said.