5 years of FATA merger – propaganda vs realities

03 January 2024

Published in: The Nation

As FATA merger has complet­ed 5 years, propaganda and con­spiracies have started once again for the revival of corrupt old sys­tem. A certain group of people with vested political and finan­cial interests including bureau­cracy and influential tribal elders are on the forefront in churn­ing out the negative propagan­da about FATA merger, specifi­cally focusing on administrative and judicial complexities. Major concerns voiced are; inefficacy of judicial system, corrupt police, increase in crime rate and signifi­cant military signature. Let us try to unearth the hidden intentions behind these “so-called” sympa­thetic voices. 

Is the call for revival of old sys­tem a sincere endeavor or influ­enced by self-interests? The truth will be unveiled from the fact that the political and tribal elite used this system as a tool to serve their own interests at the cost of marginalization of common peo­ple and satiate their coffers with funds allotted for tribal areas. The Jirga system worked on the concept of “might is right” where intensity of punishment was de­cided on the basis of strength the particular group of individu­als or a tribe enjoyed. The system eulogized the powerful and de­monized the weak. As everything has a price, so do elders of Jirga have. They were easily bribed or if someone dared to resist, he was coerced. 

The system delivered quick decisions not “justice” to the oppressed. The punishments awarded most of the times were far severe and egregious than the omission committed. It was a Jirga that ruled that two teen­age lovers, Bakht Jan, 15, and her boyfriend Rahman, 17, were to be electrocuted to death for bring­ing dishonour to their communi­ty. It was also a Jirga which had issued the orders to kill 13-year-old Naghma after it emerged that she had allegedly attempted to run away with two young men. Women were the biggest victim in this system and were frequent­ly traded as retribution for men’s’ crime with no remorse. This in­humane, uncivilized and fiend­ish system cannot and should not be restored. A civilized society is nurtured through continuous evolutionary processes and fos­tered by education and enlighten­ment, rather than adhering to the harsh traditions of the past.

Now if the judiciary and police are inefficient in Newly Merged Districts, so are they in other ar­eas of Pakistan. One cannot point a finger on system which is oth­erwise functional worldwide be­cause of the perversity of the people responsible for its imple­mentation. Moreover, Jirga sys­tem is still functional in areas where people want it to be with their mutual consensus. Howev­er, drawing a comparison, ADR is a much better an alternative as it involves Government officials in addition to tribal elders to keep any transgressions in check by both. 

The proclamations about Ar­my’s presence being a negative phenomenon are also misguiding. Almost two decades ago, the trib­al belt was a “No-Go Area” for law enforcing elements and was con­sidered a safe haven for criminals and terrorists. Rise in terrorism incidents especially after 9/11 compelled military leadership to act with resolve & conviction and in 2001, Army stepped in to establish the writ of the state on every inch of its homeland. The predicament of discerning be­tween friend and foe forced Army to adopt a cautious approach ini­tially to avoid collateral damage. However, terrorists mistook this restraint as weakness, prompting an escalation in their aggressive actions. In 2009, the worst of any year, 2,586 terrorists, insurgent and sectarian-related incidents were reported, killing 3,021 peo­ple and injuring 7,334. It was in this context, Operation Raah-e-Nijaat was launched in June 2009 to clear the area of every terror­ist stronghold. The peace and se­curity we enjoy today bears the indelible imprint of dedication and selfless sacrifices of the sol­diers and officers. The resistance to Army’s presence is due to cur­tailment of freedom which these people previously used to have for harboring terrorists and conducting illegal activities like narco-smuggling and abductions.

The first two phases of coun­ter insurgency operations i.e. clear & hold have been executed flawlessly but the next two phas­es i.e. build & transfer are still in limbo due to bureaucratic hur­dles and procrastination of civ­il administration. By compulsion, Army has to step in to fill the vac­uum left by civilian administra­tion, police and judiciary and this is appreciated widely in these ar­eas. The exploration companies are provided security by securi­ty forces. Whereas the native doc­tors are reluctant to serve in their own land, regular Army medical camps provide free medical check up to thousands of locals. In ad­dition, Army itself is also striving to ameliorate education stand­ards of the youth, because this is the only long term solution to the prevailing issues of terrorism and extremism. 

Through civil-military liaison committees, Army is assisting civ­il administration to disburse fru­itions of the merger to far-flung areas. So far, a total of 195 billion rupees have been spent on the development process in the trib­al districts. Major developments include, scholarships worth 3 bil­lion 50 crore rupees for the male and female students, establish­ment of 317 information technol­ogy and science laboratories, re­cruitment of 10,000 new teachers and integration 28,000 Levies and Khasadars into the police force, construction of 2845 sports fields in different tehsils of all tribal dis­tricts and provision of solar ener­gy to 300 mosques. During this period, the construction of 441 kilometers of new highways has been completed while 612 kms of old highways have been re­stored and repaired. A new 1150 km long electricity transmission line has been laid in addition to establishment of 7 new grid sta­tions. Above all, 1,848 small scale industries have been reactivated providing livelihood to thousands of people. Gas and oil exploration ventures have also seen a signif­icant increase where companies like Mari Petroleum and OGDCL have fixed a dedicated quota for employment of locals. The vora­ciousness of corrupt tribal elite and officials is quite understand­able keeping in view reduced lev­erage for financial misappropria­tions in current arrangement. 

In a nutshell, the call for re­viving the old system appears self-serving, rooted in past ex­ploitation. Although corrupt practices are rampant in the cur­rent judicial and police systems, the need is to ameliorate the sys­tem not to abolish it. In addition, the ADR mechanism offers a vi­able alternative to Jirga as it has representation of Government officials to keep the venal trib­al leaders in check. Despite bu­reaucratic critiques, infrastruc­ture, small industries, education and health sectors have seen sig­nificant improvements. The mil­itary’s presence has effectively filled governance voids, provid­ing security, aiding development, and actively addressing critical issues such as healthcare and ed­ucation, making it a pivotal force in sustaining stability and pro­gress in the region. The conver­gence of efforts of civil – military is the sine qua non to ensure last­ing stability in the Newly Merged Districts.