Daily Times

Entering Bajaur Agency from Mohmand tribal region, the roads conditions were so poor due to the military operations in the area.

Schools, Health institutions and other government installations in various numbers debris found after bombing by the militants. Views of destroyed installation mark the world war of 20th century. Passing through various check posts in the area entered to the Agency from Loe-sam entry point. Loe- sam was once a commercial market in Bajaur-Agency but now only the debris is available on that place nothing else. Bajaur are amongst those tribal agencies which was a hub in the recent past years of national and foreigner warlords. Mulvi Faqeer Mohammad emerged in the agency after the TTP was founded by Baitullah Mahsood in North Waziristan. Most of the volunteers joined the Mulvi Faqeer cadre after the attack on Damadola Islamic school by the US drone strike January 2006. Relatives of the deceased people in Damadola joined the militant wing as to get revenge inside in Pakistan from the Pakistan security forces and across the border from the US forces in Afghanistan. Pakistani security forces conducted operation Sherdil in Bajaur Agency and thousands of people becomes IDP’s and shifted to camps as the peace has been restored in the area but the Durand-line border still closed which effecting the livelihood and economy of the tribal people living not only in Bajaur Agency but the remaining tribal agencies as well.

Six tribal agencies of Tribal region share border with Afghanistan in which 2 Agencies Khyber and Kurram border are functional but the remaining four Agencies border are closed, Aurakzae agency not sharing border with Afghanistan. The continues hostility between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the closing of Pak-Afghan border since long effected the economy of the people living on both side of the Durand-line. We conducted interviews with people in various agencies from various businesses to enquire about the details on the impacts of border closure on the economy of FATA.

Published in Daily Times, January 27^th 2018.