Afghan Press Author: Rooh-ul-Amin

It is no doubt laudable that the Acting President of Pakistan Dr. Fahmida Mirza visited Peshawar for consoling the grievances of internally displaced people of Bajaur, a region in FATA that has been seriously affected by US sporadic air strikes coupled with Talibanisation. The FATA residents are confronting two major and chronic afflictions—one from external front, that is the incursions of ISAF in pursuit of Al-Qaida, a dead horse or an imaginary and illusive enemy for US or US interests that has brought America into Afghanistan and the second is that internally they are grappling with local Talibans.

Alike to US, these local Talibans are also fatal vampires which have seriously damaged peace in FATA, and that too is the outgrowth of the US presence in the neighboring country. Before US attack on Afghanistan here in FATA there was no concept of Talibanisation and majority of the people was not familiar with these misleading words such as terrorism and Talibanisation.

A catastrophe of the similar nature during my childhood was the “Karmal Movement” which was in support of Babark Karmal in Kabul but it could not last for so a long time and could not destabilize the government power and peace in the area as it has frayed all the affairs now. When I was a student I used to take my evening classes in Peshawar Senior Cambridge College and used to reach back home located in Tribal area late at night with perfect tranquility but that is now a story of yore.

Now in most of the tribal areas no body is allowed to go out side of homes after 10:00 at night because of the confines that local Talibans have imposed on the residents of the region. Curfew in the region has further embittered the situations.

A major shift in its policies for combating terror, US has naturally accelerated the pace of unrest and Talibanisation in the area. The region as a natural result of US presence, saw a mushroom growth of different local Talibans bodies as Tehreek-e-Taliban, Lashkar-e-Islam, Ansar-ul-Islam, Amar bel Maroof and so on.

Most of the groups on so many occasions have publicly announced that they will abolish their organistions with the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

Sunday, a similar notion was propounded in a Shura of tribal Elders and Maliks in North Wazisitan, who seriously condemned the US incursions into Pakistani territory and warned US about its repercussions.

Nevertheless with the visit of the Acting President to Peshawar to show clemency with the displaced ones of Bajaur yielded a pragmatic result in exerting sense of patriotism and it did efface the sense of alienation that was prevalent among the tribal that central government is not considering them as citizens of Pakistan. They thought that the federal government is not taking their miseries that have catapulted unrest in the area, into account. Federally administered tribal area (FATA) is under the direct governance of the federal government but this time it has been a nagging issue for the provincial government.

Her visit and voicing the announcement of the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani’s package of 100 million Rupees during such a critical moment when the newly provincial government has already appealed for help, was apt enough and pragmatic. But for the educated class of FATA it is not satisfactory and the government will have to devise such a plan that can stem the tiding flow of Talibanisation and the running series of foreign attacks into FATA now and then—a plan that must have far reaching results especially in raising the social status of the tribal.

But her visit and announcement was a remedy that can cure the blister temporarily and for coping with the issue on both the fronts it is essential to convert FATA into an autonomous province from utter barbarism of traditions and customs into a political and educational stream.

Then we can dream for a stable Pakistan at least internally. More than 74 percent population of FATA is jobless living in the bleak and barren mountains and deserts so how can we dream for a greater Pakistan in 2015, envisaged by Ameer Hiader Khan Hoti, Chief Minister of NWFP. But his dream is ridiculous sine factual embankments and simply can be called a castle in the air. For a greater Pakistan action is a must not verbosity because actions speak louder than words.

With their provincial assembly, high court, press industry, education sector, police department, forestry and so on, their social status can be raised and then who can dare to think of insurgency, terrorism, and Talibanisation. The present shabby system in FATA, which was inherited from British imperialist, shows that equally with tribal the government is blameworthy for the terror in tribal belt.

It is futile to combat terror in the way as security forces are combating it. Since my early child hood till my professional career I have seen so many events of cataclysm and I see no halt to it till the change of the system.

What a person can expect of a child grooming in such an environment where there is massacre, social unrest, and terror save barbarism and brutality? If you want to change a system don’t change it revolutionarily or with the use of force because it brings always maladies. Rather change it with an evolutionary process and looking at past many years it is not hard to conceive that the government itself has always preferred for status quou in the region.

I have been among them for more than 23-year and hence concluded that until their social status is not raised, tribal will remain stuck with militancy and terrorism.

There is an influx of tribal into the capital city of NWFP, little because of the US air strikes but mostly because of the atrocities and persecutions of the local Talibans and military operations. Which clearly calls for a change in FATA and now it is inevitable to discard the caved-in system we have received as a result of English legacy—completely outmoded. Though most of the tribal will oppose it, declaring it against their traditions and customs but there would many foreseers who will raise a slogan for its support and will relieve their posteriors of exploitation, utter barbarism and illusive titles as brave and gallant tribal.