Page 49 - English Tehelka Issue 6 - March 31, 2018

column foreign affairs

Debate on Pakistan’s • Separation sought There are demands to

declare FATA a separate province despite the
FATA has no end in sight difficulties it may face for some time

In the firm grip of poverty and a source of recruits for extremist They want FATA to be declared a
ASIAN DRAMA outfits, the FATA region of our western neighbour is in dire need separate province despite the difficul-
ties it may face for some time. The
Syed of measures to improve the economic condition of its people pro-separate-province elements are
the least bothered about what many
NooruzzamaN experts have pointed out: FATA as a
akistan is faced with a very All this has led to an unending debate province may face an acute shortage of
tricky problem concerning that either FATA should be accorded the officers as is the case with Balochistan;
The columnist — former its tribal areas bordering status of a separate province or it should a modern system for revenue collec-
Deputy Editor of The Afghanistan. The existing be merged with KP with a view to trans- tion, justice delivery institutions and a
Tribune, Chandigarh — system of governance in form the socio-cultural and economic set-up for law enforcement may take
specialises in foreign P its Federally Administered face of the region through a non-tribal decades to function properly. It will
affairs. With a career Tribal Areas (FATA) has proved to be vir- modern system of governance. There remain as ungovernable as it is today if
spanning 41 years, he tually non-functional, giving sleepless is also a suggestion for the constitution it becomes a new and fifth province of
keeps close watch on nights to the rulers in Islamabad. of a FATA executive council or agency merger of KP and FATA to create one Pakistan.
issues related to South FATA, which includes tribal agen- councils to take care of development in big province. FATA as a separate All the arguments given against
Asian countries. The cies, is administered through a Political the region. Those favouring merger with The committee’s recommendation province may face the demand for converting FATA
views expressed are Agent system controlled by the federal KP argue that the purposes of economic has been supported by at least three into a separate province appear to be
personal government in Islamabad. The Political growth and bringing the FATA people major organizations — the Awami acute shortage of meaningless if one goes deeper into
Agent, who has been generally found into Pakistan’s national mainstream National Party (ANP), the Pakistan officers; modern the identities of the tribal communi-
to be the least interested in concentrat- would be served well as a result of such Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Jamaat- systems for ties and their distinct history. Their
ing on economic development of the a decision without any major financial e-Islami (JI). Pakhtun ethnicity, language, customs
vast region, is mainly the Governor of burden on the state exchequer. There However, the merger idea has many revenue collection, and traditions have held them together
the neighbouring province, Khyber- would be no socio-cultural problem too powerful opponents, including the justice delivery and for centuries. They will never feel com-
Pakhtunkhwa (KP), earlier called the as the people speaking Pashtu (Pakh- Jamiatul Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) headed fortable if they do not have their own
North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). tuns) constitute the majority population by Maulana Fazal-ur-Rahman, who has law enforcement province will all the rights and respon-
He runs the administration in FATA by in KP, and FATA is mostly inhabited by a large following in FATA. The JUI has sibilities as a federal unit of Pakistan.
assigning duties to the NWFP’s senior Pashtu-speaking tribes. In any case, threatened to oppose with all its might may take decades Development of FATA will be speeded
officers, who do nothing other than FATA is already administered by the any move for merging FATA with KP to function up only when it is not a part of KP.
what the tribal system, highlighted by Governor and officers belonging to KP. as this would amount to pushing FATA There is very little informa-
the jirga tradition, allows them. There are many other advantages further into darkness. The JUI says any properly tion available about the number of
Now, there is a strong desire to take too. So far as the issues related toculture, change in the status of FATA can be industrial units in the FATA region as
appropriate measures to improve the customs and freedom are concerned, thought of only by taking into account Pakistan’s Federal Statistics Division
economic condition of the people in these can be tackled bycreating a sys- the region’s customs and traditions. Some time back, the Pakhtunkhwa has never carried out any such survey
FATA who have been providing recruits tem of Provincially Administered Tribal According to a Dawn report, a sen- Milli Awami Party convened a <jirga> in FATA. Only seven industrial units
to extremist and terrorist outfits having Areas (PATA) instead of the Federally ior tribal leader, Malik Ghaffar Khan in Islamabad when the idea of merger were set up in the public sector during
their bases in the region and other parts Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Afridi, has asserted that the idea of was opposed by almost every speaker. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s rule as Prime Min-
of Pakistan. It is believed that increased A committee constituted to look into FATA’s merger with KP is unthinkable They advocated the creation of a ister. The region has remained ignored
development activity may serve as an the FATA question also recommended as a vast majority of tribal people are separate province to take care of the ever since Pakistan was created. These
antidote to control terrorism and ex- that the region should be merged with opposed to it. He has also expressed his problems faced by FATA. They ex- so-called “non-settled” areas need a
tremism. According to media reports, at KP to find a solution to the problems it opposition to any move for the exten- pressed the apprehension that FATA different kind of treatment so that they
this stage whatever little business activ- faces. It was argued that all the areas in sion of the jurisdiction of the Supreme would lose its identity once it became have increased interaction with the
ity goes on there is visible in the form of FATA are better connected with towns Court and the KP High Court to FATA, a part of KP. Its inclusion in KP will outside world. This may make the peo-
shops selling goods needed by the tribal in KP than with those within FATA itself. arguing that the people of the region also add to the feeling of marginalisa- ple living there realise that they must
population. But, interestingly, most of It is mostly dependent on KP not only would prefer to settle their disputes tion among the province’s minorities keep themselves away from the path
these shops are owned by settlers from for administrative purposes but also for through their jirga system. He said, like the Saraiki-speaking people (who of violence in their own socio-cultural
across the Durand Line — Afghanistan. trade-related requirements. Moreover, “We want constitutional protection for constitute 60 per cent of the popula- and economic interest.
The local people are living a life of ex- very little financial resources will be our traditional tribal customs and the tion of Dera Ismail Khan division), the
treme poverty. required if a decision is taken for the system of jirga.” Hazaras and the Chitralis. letters@tehelka.com

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