In 2017 I returned to my homeland, South Waziristan exactly 10 years after I left it as it had become a stronghold for militants. The process of returning the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) of the tribal belt to their homes was completed last December. The whole region is regarded as one of the most dangerous places on earth. I saw major changes on my return to South Waziristan. Both in the region and it’s people. South Waziristan’s infrastructure has been ravaged by war. People’s houses are hardly fit to live in after years of incessant shelling. People whose houses have been completely destroyed received $4000 compensation money and people whose houses have been partially destroyed receive $2000. It’s a meagre amount to build or repair a house. The army has built roads, cadet colleges and Army Public Schools. But the repatriated families have no access to healthcare, communication facilities, gas or potable water. These are basic amenities which are the state’s responsibility to provide. The problems don’t end here. It is mandatory for the tribal people to have a Watan card or Rahdari to come back home, along with a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC). The area is still scattered with hidden or disguised Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) which have killed or maimed scores of children. The area is still governed by the discriminatory Frontier Crimes Regulations, a set of laws left over from the British Raj intended to control the tribal people However, the tribal elders don’t want to pay much attention to these issues. After over a decade of war, they only vie for peace. Which is understandable. After undergoing the problems and miseries of being IDP’s, the repatriated people are happy to live in tents set up inside their demolished houses. The area is also still governed by the discriminatory set of laws known as the Frontier Crimes Regulations, a set of laws left over from the British Raj intended to control the tribal people. The FCR also contain the ‘collective punishment clause’, which dictates that if one member of a tribe commits a crime, then their whole tribe can be held accountable for it. Any member of the tribe can be detained and their property seized. There is widespread corruption in the local administration which drives any attempts at development into reverse gear. The FCR is still there, but a lot has still changed. On my return, I couldn’t recognise most of the tribal teenagers. They were still kids of five or six when I left South Waziristan. The Taliban’s set of draconian laws are also gone. Card games, music and girl’s education were all banned under their version of Sharia law. But on my return, I saw both boys and girls dressed in school uniform and attending the APS in Shakai, the valley where the government and Taliban struck their first peace deal. Last Eid, youngsters arranged late night music parties, which were executed without any security problems. People venture outside their homes at night feeling secure and without carrying any arms. This was unfathomable ten years ago. For some of the former IDP’s, displacement turned out to be a blessing in disguise since they were able to start successful small businesses on the roadsides of DI Khan and Karachi. The writer is Correspondent at News Lens Pakistan Published in Daily Times, September 26th 2017.