Pakistan parliament to vote on tribal province merger

The northwestern Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) border Afghanistan and have been difficult to control for years.

Pakistan’s parliament is set to vote on whether the FATA tribal regions in the northwest will be absorbed into a neighbouring province.

Leaders in Islamabad want FATA to become a formal part of Pakistan by merging it with the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also known as KPK.

It’s a move the government hopes will stop the area being a sanctuary for armed groups.

Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan reports.