Daily Times

Since the 9/11 attacks in the United States, the tribal areas are a major theatre of militancy and terrorism. Pakistan’s Army launched ten operations against the Taliban since 2001, most recently Operations Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad. The operations displaced about two million people from the tribal areas, as schools, hospitals and homes have been destroyed in the war. This and a number of other ensuing issues led to the realisation and growing demand from the FATA people as well as politicians that FATA should be merged into KP as early as possible.

On 2March 2017, the federal government considered a proposal to merge the tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and to repeal the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR). Few political parties, however, opposed the merger and called for the tribal areas to instead become a separate province of Pakistan.

On May 24, the National Assembly of Pakistan voted in favour of an amendment to the Constitution for the FATA-KP merger which was approved by the Senate the following day. On May 27, the amendment was passed with a majority in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. On May 28, Pakistan’s present signed the FATA Interim Governance Regulation, a set of interim rules for FATA until it merges with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within a timeframe of two years. The president will have jurisdiction over the tribal areas until he signs the amendment for the merger to hand over control to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

FATA is bordered by Afghanistan to the north and west with the border marked by the Durand Line, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the east, and Balochistan to the south. The seven tribal areas lie in a north-to-south strip that is adjacent to the west side of the six frontier regions, which also lie in a north-to-south strip. The areas within each of those two regions are geographically arranged in a sequence from north to south.

FATA is the most impoverished part of the country. Despite being home to 2.4 percent of Pakistan’s population, it mades up only 1.5 percent of Pakistan’s economy with a per capita income of only $663 in 2010.

FATA has a total of 6,050 government education institutions out of which 4,868 are functional. Out of these 4,868 functional institutions, 77 percent (3,729) are primary schools. Total enrolment in government institutions is 612,556 out of which 69 percent are studying at the primary stage. The total number of working teachers in FATA is 22,610 out of which 7,540 are female. The survival rate from Grade KG to Grade 5 is 36 percent while the transition rate from primary to the middle in public schools in FATA is 64 percent (73 percent for boys and 45 percent for girls).

The Pakistan military has made arduous efforts not only for refurbishing peace in the restive areas of FATA. There is no doubt that the Army leadership other than fencing the 1,700km long Afghan border, protected the nation from the collateral damage of tribal society with their war tactics and outstanding planning.

Afghan NDS and Indian RAW are attempting to use grievances in FATA for larger regional agenda. We all need to be united to face challenges and counter the international agenda. We need to be internally secure to face the external challenges. Our enemies want us to be disintegrated because once a country is destabilised internally, it’s easier for them to move forward with their agenda

For the last one year the Army has not done any air attacks in the tribal areas in which along with terrorists, the innocent citizens could lose their lives. The way the Army leadership announced for forgiveness for the annoyed Baloch people to bring them back into the national stream, the same way the Pushto speaking Taliban were shown the way to quit terrorism and return towards normalcy.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) called the mainstreaming of FATA as key to prosperity; adding it is time to be aware of ‘inimical forces’ creating uncertainties. DG ISPR, in his tweet, said; “We are through with challenges of ‘clear’ phase after kinetic operations, ‘hold and build’ in progress. It’s our home, by working together we shall gradually bring back complete normalcy,” adding, “economic rehabilitation of the tribes takes priority. Mainstreaming of FATA remains key to their empowerment and prosperity.”

Major-General Asif Ghafoor in his press briefing on June 4 responded to those criticising the institution for intervening in politics, saying “the Army has no role in politics.” He said seven Pakistani officers had been martyred in 71 incidents of firing from across the Afghan border since the fencing started, but that it would go on till the end objective is achieved.“This has been a historical and landmark achievement in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the merger of Fata with KP.”

As of June 2016, there were 399 check posts in FATA, which by April 2018 have been reduced to 353, the plan for the future is to further reduce these check posts to 306 by June 2018 and down to 270 by December this year, which is a 33 percent reduction in check posts. 42 teams have been deployed in FATA to defuse IEDs in the area. 64 percent of the demining process was completed which shows that 158 minefields were cleared out of a total of 246.

“There have been no mines left back by the military,” said the Peshawar Corps Commander, adding, “these are remnants of the terrorists that fled; these should not be put into the military’s account.” He said, “It takes two hours along with hectic equipment to clear an area of 1 square kilometre.”

Afghan NDS and Indian RAW are attempting to use grievances in FATA for larger regional agenda. We all need to be united to face challenges and counter the international agenda. We need to be internally secure to face the external challenges. Our enemies want us to be disintegrated because once a country is destabilised internally, it’s easier for them to move forward with their agenda.

Now that the major demand of the PTM has been fulfilled, there is no logic of holding protest demonstrations and staging sit-ins. There seems to be a growing realisation amongst the people in power to address genuine issues like that of the displaced people and work towards the development of the area.

The writer is freelance columnist based in Peshawar

Published in Daily Times, June 12^th 2018.