Related Papers
The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History
Negotiations with the Tribes of Waziristan 1849–1914—The British Experience
2011 •
Hugh Beattie
The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History
Hostages on the Indo-Afghan Border in the Later Nineteenth Century
2015 •
Hugh Beattie
Afghan Frontier At the Crossroads of Conflict-Tauris Parke Paperbacks (2010)
jahangir khan
Political Reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA) : Will it End the Current Militancy?
2012 •
sayed muzafar shah
The resurgence of the Taliban and the al Qaida are interwoven with the rising tide of militancy in the tribal areas of Pakistan. After the Taliban’s ouster from Afghanistan, the al Qaida and its supporters regrouped in the FATA and launched attacks on the US and NATO troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan, a major ally of the US on war upon terror tried to quell the insurgents but did not succeed. The cross-border infiltration and attacks on US troops continued, causing serious doubts about Pakistan’s sincerity in the suppression of the militancy. The present research focuses on these and other similar issues including the recent trust deficit between US and Pakistan and the essential measures for bringing stability to the region thus ensuring safe withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
Mahsuds a n d Wazirs; Maliks a n d Mullahs i n Competition P A K IS T A N
mohsin khan
FATA Tribes: Finally Out of Colonial Clutches?Past, Present and Future
Farooq Yousaf
This report – part of the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) special publications series – provides a brief introduction to the history, culture, traditions and demographics of the ethnic Pashtun tribes inhabiting the north-western border regions of Pakistan. The 27,220 square kilometre area inhabited by these tribes is historically known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and, until May 2018, had been governed by the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR). Since then, Pakistan’s parliament has approved the merger of FATA into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and they are no longer subject to governance informed by British colonial-era legacy. The focus of this report is on the tribes, sub-tribes and notable families residing in the seven administrative units known as Agency (districts) that make up FATA. This report also looks at the traditions, cultural norms, and various traditional conflict mitigation and resolution mechanisms that these Pashtun tribes have practiced for centuries. An overview of economic, demographic, and geopolitical dimensions of FATA is also provided.
Tribal Areas Governance - colonial legacies, current challenges and the way forward
Taymour Aly Khan
The system of governance and laws in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are based on the reality of the lives of the people and their customs. This controversial territory, where cultural precedents were empowered by the colonizers whose main concern was to maintain the balance of power, is marred by low literacy rates and extreme poverty that contributes to a ‘wild west’ atmosphere, including the proliferation of smuggling and other illegal trade. In recent years, the rise of militancy and military interventions have impacted the already corroding power structure in FATA siginificantly bringing the debate for reform of governance in FATA in focus. This paper, based on extensive historical and contemporary qualitative research using a combination of chronological, descriptive and analytical methods by making use of the written material available on the tribal areas of Pakistan, supplemented by in-depth interviews of practitioners of tribal administration and residents of FATA, discusses the historical background and provides a short overview of the administrative, judicial, political and socio-economic aspects of FATA. Exploring the factual position of changing governance conditions and issues in FATA, this paper, critically examining the structure of governance, especially FCR in backdrop of its colonial origins, the changing environment, and an assessment the reforms already introduced by the government, with focus on the southern agencies, attempts to find the linkages of various variables impacting conditions of governance in FATA for possible resolution of governance issues in the tribal areas of Pakistan. In assessing the underlying causes of the governance issues in backdrop of an evolving socio-economic situation in FATA, this paper suggests a significant change to the FATA’s status quo as an essential and effective measure. In light of the collapse of the antiquated system of tribal governance in FATA, this analysis maps several possible transition paths for governance reform in both the tribal and settled regions, and argues for an incremental approach that minimizes risks to political stability.
International History Review
Politicals’, Tribes and Musahibans: The Indian Political Service and Anglo-Afghan Relations 1929–39
2012 •
Christian Tripodi
This article examines the way in which the tribal areas of the North-West Frontier came to constitute a recurrent point of contention and dispute in Anglo-Afghan relations during the period under examination. It argues that while much attention has been paid to the way in which the activities of autonomous tribes of the frontier impacted upon British interests, much of the existing historiography has tended to focus upon the physical confrontation between tribe and state and has hitherto ignored perhaps the most complex aspect of the ‘tribal problem’ during this period; its impact upon the Government of India's diplomatic relations with Afghanistan. The article proposes that the period 1929–39 constituted a particularly challenging context for British policy-makers wrestling with the requirement to formulate a cost-effective tribal policy that would suit the interests of British India without undermining the newly emerged, pro-British but inherently weak Musahiban regime. It argues that while the Government of India avoided any fatal breach in relations with the Afghan leadership, the process of frontier policy-making illustrated some fundamental weaknesses in perspective on the part of that government department most closely associated with the formulation of such policy: the Indian Political Service.
FATA - A complicated situation
Dr. Shaheer Ellahi
FATA; A COMPLICATED SITUATION FATA is surely the most discussed region not just in South Asia but also around the world stretching from sophisticated think tanks to calculated strategic experts. FATA has a unique stance both in terms of its traditions and geographic location which leads to an internal independence system run by tribal elders and political agents. From Drone attacks to several military operations stretching till north Waziristan is a serious point of concern locally, nationally and internally. The economic situation adds to the misery of the local population embedded with rigid traditions which leaves no space in the exactitude of the development process. The militancy affected communities are seriously at war with the complicated situation where the schools have been exploded and institutes are getting deteriorated due to certain foreign and internal disputes pressures.The entire development sector needs to mobilize the civil society to discover and pave road of dialogue between government, security agencies and the tribal heads, On the other hand an indigenous approach is very much required in order to rescue and rehabilitate the local community and to channelize the funds, projects and opportunities. Shaheer Ellahi Editor
The Talibanisation of Pakistan's Western Region 1
2009 •
Yasub Dogar
Ever since the invasion of Afghanistan by the United States and its allies in 2001, there has been a strong resurgence of pro-Taliban elements in Pakistan’s bordering provinces with Afghanistan. The Durand Line which was delineated at the turn of the century segregated tribes and clans in such a manner that even families were divided. Its sanctity (legality) was never accepted by either the Afghan or Pakistani tribesmen. The Afghans/Pathans/Pakhtoons/Pashtoons form almost half of Afghanistan’s population and more than 15 percent of Pakistan’s population, Apart from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), where they are a majority, they reside in the western provinces of the NorthWest Frontier Province (NWFP) and Baluchistan. However, due to several factors, including their ethics code known as Pashtoonwali, they wield influence out of proportion to their numbers in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The FATA, a belt along the border, has been autonomous even before the advent of...
