Mohmand: the now tumultuous black sheep of FATA

As peace prevails in tribal belt, incidents of violence have increased in this agency

PESHAWAR: For the last few months, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas have been at relative peace. Incidents of violence have seen a noticeable decline with the exception of one region – Mohmand Agency.  At least 11 incidents have taken place in the area during May and most of them were related to terrorism.

Improvised explosive devices (IED) planted by the roadside have been a nightmare for locals and law-enforcement agencies. In comparison, the rest of the tribal belt has witnessed a period of calm as such incidents decreased by a whopping 48%.

In the more than eight IED attacks in May, three of the devices were defused. The spillover has continued into June and the relevant authorities have had to take “extra” measures to curb the violence.

Security and administrative officials believe natives need to return and reclaim responsibility for their areas. While the agency remains denotified in government registers, a large chunk of the population, displaced by past military operations, remains outside the agency.

Many families are now permanent residents of Peshawar. Meanwhile, rough divisions of the agency reveal that those who hail from the upper subdivision have made cities like Karachi and Rawalpindi their abode. Meanwhile, natives of Lower Mohmand live on the outskirts of the agency near Charsadda and Peshawar.

People are mostly reluctant to return. A tribal malik, who abandoned his home and lands residing in Peshawar, says it is unsafe. He cited reasons such as extortion and threats from militant organisations which now have access to their homes. The closure of the marble industry, which traders are heavily reliant on, is also related to similar factors.

However, officials are wary of these facts and say there can be no peace unless the natives return.

“We strictly monitor the areas, their residents and sources of income,” said a senior official. “It is still believed that militants from Afghanistan have sympathizers in the agency. While their numbers may not be impressive, they have the ability to strike.”

The Taliban in Fata first emerged in Mohmand Agency on Jul 31, 2007. They renamed the shrine of Haji Turangzai as Lal Masjid and literally controlled the region. This chain of events was followed by a series of surgical military operations and ultimately the area was cleared of all visible threats.

The recent surge in violence is because militant groups like the TTP and Jamaatul Ahrar are still present, officials believe. They say their ability to conduct a massive attack has dwindled, but the group is still receiving “oxygen” from hostile forces.

While the government has tried its best to promote peace through festivals and other activities, even isolated incidents of violence have an impact in populated areas.

Perhaps, in the larger scheme of things, such strategies may eventually succeed. However, for residents of the area, the last decade has been painful to say the least. There is still a long way to go for the tribal administration to convince the natives to return as some wounds still run deep.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2016.