Pakistan: Moves to integrate tribal areas in the northwest

[FalconsForPeace]

PAKISTAN is taking steps to integrate its tribal areas, formally known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan.

The move comes amidst a crackdown on terrorism after at least 125 people fell victim to terrorist attacks throughout the country in recent weeks.

Last Thursday, the long-awaited reforms were approved by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Cabinet. If passed by the Parliament, a long process of developing and building up the security of the tribal areas will begin.

The process will span at least 10 years, but the merger time is set for five.

“Time has come the tribal people will be brought into [the] mainstream to end their sense of deprivation,” Sharif is quoted as saying to Radio Pakistan.

In November 2015, a Pakistani consultative committee was formed to discuss the stability of the tribal areas.

Terrorist organisations like the Pakistani Taliban and Al-Qaeda have long taken shelter throughout the region and used the area as a base to launch terror attacks within Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.

Poverty in the region has provided these terrorist organisations with access to a pool of new and willing recruits, but many others have also suffered as a result.

A policeman carries one of the injured after a blast in Lahore, Pakistan, on Feb 13, 2017. Source: Reuters/Mohsin Raza

Over 1.8 million people from the tribal areas have been displaced and many live within internally displaced person (IDP) camps in urban centres throughout the country.

The region has also been subjected to U.S. drone strikes, of which many Pakistanis are highly critical.

After launching an offensive in mid-2014, the Pakistani army was finally able to claim total control of the tribal areas in late 2016.

The tribal areas consist of seven tribal districts and six frontier regions, and have semi-autonomous status.

As many of the tribes span across Pakistan and Afghanistan, they were not properly integrated into Pakistan when the country achieved independence in 1947. For decades, the region has been underdeveloped and exploited by foreign powers.

Many argue the underlying reason for the merger is to garner political support for next year’s election. But one cannot deny the importance of integrating the tribal areas into the rest of Pakistan.

Amad Khan, from the Bajaur Agency in the tribal areas, told Al Jazeera, “This reform will bring schools, colleges and a proper health system in our areas accessible to us. Even though it took years to be acknowledged by our country, we are thankful it finally happened.”

The move comes at a time when tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan are growing. Both countries have exchanged tit-for-tat demands over handing over alleged terrorists. Two weeks ago, Pakistan temporarily closed the border.

Many Pakistanis have challenged the government’s hardline response to Afghanistan, arguing it ignores the home-grown factions causing terror throughout the country.

The reforms will see 20,000 police dispatched in the tribal areas and the end of the colonial era laws, known as the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), which allowed tribes or communities to be punished for the actions of an individual.

The push to integrate the tribal areas will ensure everyone enjoys the same rights throughout the country.
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017...e-tribal-areas-northwest/#p7fGQo5vzmRqK734.99

 

[FalconsForPeace]

Pakistan approves landmark reforms for tribal areas

Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan's cabinet has approved a plan to introduce widespread political and administrative reforms to its tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan, bringing landmark changes to an area that has long been a sanctuary for armed groups.

The changes, which include the extension of fundamental constitutional rights to citizens, will see Pakistan's constitution and penal code extended to the seven semi-autonomous tribal "agencies" for the first time since the country gained independence from the British in 1947.

"The time has now come for [the people of the tribal areas] to also be brought into the ambit of being Pakistani, to end the ongoing deprivation of their areas," said a statement issued by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's office on Thursday, following the cabinet meeting that approved the reforms.

The laws will give citizens access to fundamental rights and the ability to vote for representatives in provincial and local council elections, among other benefits.

Currently, the northwestern region is governed under the British-era Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), a draconian law dating back to colonial times which leaves citizens with no recourse to formal courts and open to collective punishment for the crimes of members of their tribes.

The lack of formal law and writ of the state in the tribal areas made them a haven for armed groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and al-Qaeda, for decades.

Pakistan's military regained control of North Waziristan - the last of the tribal areas still under Taliban control - after an offensive launched in mid-2014 that lasted until the end of 2016.

Since then, violence has dropped across the country, but sporadic high-profile attacks, such as the bombing of a shrine last month that killed 88 people, remain common.

Key among the reforms is a five-year plan that will see the tribal areas, home to more than four million people, merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with citizens given the right to vote for represenatives in the provincial assembly for the first time.



On Thursday, Sartaj Aziz, who headed the government committee that prepared the reforms, said that citizens would be able to vote for provincial assembly seats in the next general election, scheduled for mid-2018.

The plan also envisages the holding of local council elections in each of the seven tribal areas by the end of 2017.

Previously, residents in the tribal areas could vote for representatives in the lower house of parliament. Yet, laws passed by parliament had no validity in those areas.

The reforms package also proposes 1.05bn in funding be allocated to a 10-year plan aimed at rehabilitating and reconstructing infrastructure, including communications, power lines, water supply schemes, education and health facilities in the tribal areas.

Government social welfare services such as hospitals and schools are virtually non-existent in most parts of the tribal areas, and have been further decimated by years of military operations.

At the peak of those operations, more than three million citizens from the tribal areas were classified as internally displaced (IDPs), living in camps or migrating to urban areas.

The new plan envisages the complete return of IDPs by April 30, 2017, Aziz said.

The reforms will also see the introduction of a new law to govern the tribal areas, based on the concept of "rewaaj", or tribal customs. That act will formalise the holding tribal councils, also known as jirgas, to resolve local disputes, according to a report on the reforms released by the government.

"We have sacrificed a lot for Pakistan and for years we haven't been given our basic rights," said Amad Khan, a citizen from the Bajaur tribal area.

"This reform will bring schools, colleges and a proper health system in our areas accessible to us. Even though it took years to be acknowledged by our country, we are thankful that it finally happened."

http://menafn.com/1095293756/Pakistan-approves-landmark-reforms-for-tribal-areas

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

A great move. Pak needs to bring these folks fully up to the main stream...

 

[Cornered Tiger]

It is more of a Strategic move, We need more concentrated security in those areas which is not possible without a proper police force in that area. After that we can establish Army cantonments there as well. Same concentrated security is also needed in Balochistan in the form of a proper police force so that we can establish Army cantonments in Balochistan as well. Army, FC and Rangers are never a permanent Security measure.

 

[schoolboy]

Well, as long as tanks, gunships, jets, drones, artillery and troops are used integration will remain a difficult objective. Just a few days back I read about more purchase of Viper gunships to be used in these areas.

These frontier ops are a textbook case of how not to battle an insurgency.

 

[Salahuddin Ayyubi]

Well, as long as tanks, gunships, jets, drones, artillery and troops are used integration will remain a difficult objective. Just a few days back I read about more purchase of Viper gunships to be used in these areas.

These frontier ops are a textbook case of how not to battle an insurgency.

you're correct, we should do what india does and have 500,000 troops in the region to make sure "stability" is preserved.

 

[Talwar e Pakistan]

Well, as long as tanks, gunships, jets, drones, artillery and troops are used integration will remain a difficult objective. Just a few days back I read about more purchase of Viper gunships to be used in these areas.

By 'integrate' it means 'merge'. People of FATA have been wanting this for a long time.

These frontier ops are a textbook case of how not to battle an insurgency.

Is that why Pakistan has succeeded where a coalition of much better funded and equipped nations failed in the war against terror?

 

[ABCharlie]

you're correct, we should do what india does and have 500,000 troops in the region to make sure "stability" is preserved.

Yeah, blind their kids and bring 'peace' to the region.

 

[Flash_Ninja]

Well, as long as tanks, gunships, jets, drones, artillery and troops are used integration will remain a difficult objective. Just a few days back I read about more purchase of Viper gunships to be used in these areas.

To battle terrorists.

The local tribes will support any measure to push militants out of their lands, its why they've been pushing for provincial rights for a very long time.

These frontier ops are a textbook case of how not to battle an insurgency.

You are joking right? At the height of terrorism in Pakistan, almost all of FATA was under the control many groups including the Taliban and even a group calling themselves the 'Emirate of Waziristan'. Fast forward to today and armed insurgents have been driven out of every town/village/district in the area, we rewrote the entire book on counter-insurgency!

The results speak for themselves, we went from 11,000 terrorism related deaths in a year to now under 2,000 a year.

For comparison look at the US-run Afghan forces next door, they have a very corrupt and unorganized military, and have ceded 40% of the country to the Taliban, that's a textbook case of how not to battle insurgency; or even IOK where you cant even win the hearts and minds of 'your own people', another textbook case.

 

[The Eagle]

A needed step and long due for betterment of FATA that being remote from Governance in past. This integration tells that how far areas are also going to benefit the growing economy as well as these steps will help maintain peace and development under supervision of Government.

Also, Governor KPK announced that FATA cricket team to take part in up-coming PSL 2018.

 

[schoolboy]

Is that why Pakistan has succeeded where a coalition of much better funded and equipped nations failed in the war against terror?

I don't know what your definition of 'success' is. If you mean insurgents are not able to take down gunships with AA missiles then maybe yes - what I see is a nation buying sophisticated hardware like helicopter gunships for counter-insurgency - which requires a re-calibration of the meaning of sucess.

we rewrote the entire book on counter-insurgency!

The results speak for themselves, we went from 11,000 terrorism related deaths in a year to now under 2,000 a year.

For comparison look at the US-run Afghan forces next door, they have a very corrupt and unorganized military, and have ceded 40% of the country to the Taliban, that's a textbook case of how not to battle insurgency; or even IOK where you cant even win the hearts and minds of 'your own people', another textbook case.

I cheerfully agree that presence of troops is stressful for the border districts of Kashmir - I have also commented elsewhere on PDF that prolonged deployment of troops by any country in any civilian area is a recipe for disaster which is why troops are not used except as a last resort. In Kashmir the Indian army is stationed - obviously - to counter Pakistani military presence of that side of the LOC. So in a sense it can't be helped I suppose - an external threat.

Afghanistan, of course is in an outright civil war - which I assume Pakistan is not in - so that comparison is not helpful.

But use of military for domestic counterinsurgency is a different issue altogether. India used jets once in Mizoram - in 1966 against the Mizo insurgency - the last time anything other than troops were used. Tanks - never, gunships never, drones never. The issue of IAF in anti-naxal ops came up periodically but thankfully Vajpayee was pragmatic enough to refuse to deploy them - except for medical airlift. Yes, army troops remain in Nagaland and Assam and that creates flare-ups as well.

Use of military for domestic insurgency is tempting and use of that kind of force may be temporarily effective [like a powerful antibiotic] but unlikely to be problem solver. It also says a lot if a country decides to use that kind of force against its own citizens.

 

[Flash_Ninja]

In Kashmir the Indian army is stationed - obviously - to counter Pakistani military presence of that side of the LOC.

Suuurrrreee.. 700,000 troops are solely in place to counter Pakistans much smaller force.

Use of military for domestic insurgency is tempting and use of that kind of force may be temporarily effective [like a powerful antibiotic] but unlikely to be problem solver. It also says a lot if a country decides to use that kind of force against its own citizens.

You dont know anything about insurgency in Pakistan, so why comment?

First of all, to say that those terrorists are citizens is a massive stretch. 60% of the fighters are foreigners from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and sometimes the middle east and North Africa. These are not local people fighting for independence or revolution, but for the establishment of a strict Sharia ruled state making it easier for them to recruit abroad and import mercenaries. Those that are 'Pakistani' are mostly from rural tribes that likely have never come into Pakistani government ever (this may change with the integration of FATA into KPK), and therefore have more loyalty to their tribe than they ever had for the state. Finally, whenever a battle takes place civillians are always evacuated and helicopters and planes are never used in populated areas; they are used in the mountains and unpopulated valleys where the terrorists reside.

The BLA insurgency are different, when they aren't forcibly recruiting or killing non-Baloch civilians; they will hide out in various networks of camps and safe houses in certain towns and villages, however ive never heard of any kind of air-strike being authorised against them so again your points are wrong.

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

And, this is just the beginning. IMO, new borders will be drawn in very near future as is the case in the ME. But, this time it's not per the interests of the imperialists but the local folks who are, by the by, the real owners. Hint: the Turkish forces are 40km deep within Syria....

 

[YeBeWarned]

there are no less than 2 Million Armed Tribal , we need to increase size of Army presence , give these Tribal's the uniform and FC cover they are more than enough to take down ANA three time ..

 

[Samurai_assassin]

Please post this to New Delhis rotten toilet cleaner Mr Karzai and show him the middle finger.