Sowing the seeds of reforms in FATA

It is vital to revamp tribal belt, repatriate IDPs and provide basic facilities


Iftikhar Firdous December 31, 2015

PESHAWAR: For the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), the year 2015 has seen the beginning of a mainstream discourse on ending the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR)—which just turned 114-years-old—and a “special status” vis-à-vis merging it with the rest of Pakistan.

In the aftermath of military operations, Fata emerged somewhat from the shadows of security concerns surrounding the area for the last decade. One of the main reasons cited for the disintegration of the tribal belt was its administrative set-up which could not be reconstructed in the traditional sense because it relied heavily on local traditions and customs. This was coupled by the permanent fracture it suffered thanks to the various militants organisations used its territory for nefarious gains.

The debate over the status of Fata is not a new debate, but the discussion made its way to the mainstream in 2015. This is what led to the submission of the proposed 22nd Constitutional Amendment in the National Assembly by Fata lawmakers who ironically cannot legislate for their own area.  Ultimately, the prime minister formed a five-member committee to decide the fate of the area after completing their findings.

What is important at this particular juncture is to address the deprivation felt by tribespeople, particularly those displaced by war.  If the population of around 1.7 million displaced people is sent back home without the means to sustain themselves, it could spell disaster.

The situation across the border far from guarantees violence will not spill over. The FATA Reforms agenda is not only a human rights concern, but a matter of national security.

For now, the future remains unclear, but one thing is for certain; its people are looking forward to maintaining peace in the area.

“We have reconstructed schools and colleges in the area, but six to eight personnel are guarding each one,” said an official in the cleared areas of North Waziristan. However, at a school that reopened only recently, only seven teachers out of a total of 73 returned, he explained. More political will is the need of the hour for the civil administration to take charge of the region once again.

The displaced population of Fata is slated to return by the end of December 2016 and there is a dire need to take decisions fast—and that too with the consent of the local populace.

“They (the changes) need to be made on the ground rather than sitting in Islamabad,” said a senior official. As a result, the committee headed by Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz will be visiting the tribal areas to develop a consensus.

However, the apprehension is that if the gaps are not filled by the things important to the tribespeople, someone else will take advantage of the situation. The recent bomb attack in Parachinar, Kurram Agency is a grim reminder of what sleeps in those dark spaces.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2016.

 

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