ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari, on the advice of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Monday approved the regulations for Federal Levies Force for Fata and Pata under Article 247 of the Constitution.
The summary received by the Presidency from the States and Frontier Regions Division said the Prime Minister, while chairing a high-level meeting on law and order at the Governor’s House Peshawar on June 19, had directed for strengthening the Federal Levies Force in Fata and Pata/Khyber Pk and also up-gradation of the existing service structure.
It said accordingly a regulation was drafted in consultation with all concerned divisions, including Law and Justice, and was notified in May 2010 after the approval of the prime minister and the president. Later, in view of the amendments as proposed by the Khyber Pk governor to the president, two identical but separate regulations were drafted for the Federal Levies Force in Fata and Pata respectively after an agreement among all the stakeholders.
After endorsement of these drafts by the governor KPK and the parliamentarians from Fata, the Ministry of SAFRON recommended to the prime minister to advise the president to accord his approval for issuance of Federal Levies Force Regulation 2012 for Fata and Levies Force Regulation 2012 for Pata under Article 247 of the Constitution.
Spokesperson to the President Senator Farhatullah Babar said the regulations had been issued to decentralize the operational command and administration of the Federal Levies Forces in Fata and Pata, while the earlier regulation notified in 2010 stood repealed.
He said the step had been taken in order to make the Levies Forces more efficient, organised and disciplined to meet the challenges arising out of the prevailing situation in the tribal areas.
According to the new regulations, political agents and DCOs have been declared as commandants of the Levies Forces within their respective jurisdiction. Earlier, the commandant use to be a person appointed as such by the federal government.
The regulations state that the Director General Federal Levies shall be responsible for budgetary and procurement matters of the force. The members of the force shall receive pay, pension and allowances as may be prescribed by rules, the regulations say.
The commandant shall exercise his powers and perform his functions under the general supervision and directions of the federal government.