Daily Times

While the country has been gripped by the Panama case, Dawn Leaks and spy-wars with India, a momentous opportunity to uplift the federally administered tribal areas (FATA) has been squandered. By none other than the political elites that continue to blame the military for their lack of performance. The government’s proposed FATA bill could not be tabled due to opposition of partners within the ruling coalition last week. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, a key ally of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vociferously opposed the reforms package, the cornerstone of which is FATA’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.

Admittedly, this is not the first time such a development has prevented the state fulfilling its obligations to half-citizens of FATA. The PPP government also launched a package which was a watered down version of the current proposals and given the war on terror, not much could be achieved. Reportedly, the military is on board this time but the short sighted politicians cannot agree. FATA’s status as a separate province would suit Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) to enhance its political power and an opportunity to control a province. On its own, JUI-F has little hope of winning in any of the provinces. Last week’s assembly session called to deliberate the draft laws aimed at mainstreaming the tribal areas saw heated exchange between JUI-F chief and lawmakers from FATA. Interestingly, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which rules the KP is willing to conclude the reforms in the federal territory. It is the PML-N which has caved in to the pressure of wily Maulana Fazl. Sadly, it also reflects the lack of preparation on part of the ruling party where it did not take its allies and key stakeholders into confidence before submitting bill.

Since the nineteenth century, FATA’s status has been little more than a colony — first for the Brits who wanted a buffer zone between India and Afghanistan and later by the Pakistan’s praetorian state. It is a matter of intense shame that a large number of Pakistani citizens do not enjoy basic fundamental rights, access to courts and other modern institutions of governance. There is many an advocate for keeping the status quo. Some of them can be found within the civil-military bureaucracy that finds the ignominious Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) a century old law convenient for a host of reasons well known to all and sundry.

The people of FATA have suffered over the decades and more so since the war on terror that has destroyed their lives and livelihoods. Escaping the militants, drones and Pakistani air bombardments, hundreds of thousands are internally displaced. Even if they were to return — as many have in recent months — what hope do these people have? FATA also happens to be the poorest of regions in the country, lorded over by a corrupt tribal administration. A posting in FATA is considered ‘lucrative’ for there is no accountability of its mini-lords. It shares low education and health indices with Balochistan, another misgoverned part of Pakistan. But for all of this to change, the governance of FATA needs to be fixed. Therefore, there can be no further delay.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has a momentous opportunity to make history here. Far more than his shining, Punjab-centric motorways and public transport investments, he can truly leave a legacy as a national leader. Therefore, it is incumbent that PM Sharif prevails over his recalcitrant allies. It is time we considered the tribals of FATA as humans and accord them their basic, inalienable rights.  *