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.
