fatman17
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VIEW: Knowing FATA Ghulam Qadir Khan Daur
Previously, all the Afghan elite was educated in India and was indoctrinated against Pakistan, but things are different now. The new generation of Afghans has lived, studied and worked in Pakistan. They have properties, businesses and relatives here. India might have some influence in Afghanistans northern areas, but for a majority Pakistan is home
A lot is being written on the war against terror with focus on Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the tribesmen but, unfortunately, many events are misunderstood and misinterpreted by non-FATA writers. I would like to point out that since the media is not allowed into FATA, inferences are drawn from events. Farhat Taj claimed in her article The Pakhtun, the Taliban and Imran Khan (Daily Times, December 19, 2009) that there are clear signs that the people of FATA are cooperating with the Americans to liberate their land and the success of the drone attacks and the dead bodies of spies were proof of this cooperation. Though I agree with most of the views of the writer, let me very categorically deny any cooperation between the people of FATA and the Americans. The dead bodies are not of spies but of ordinary people labelled as spies and slaughtered just to terrorise people. Drawing such inferences is totally wrong as the tribal people consider Americans as much responsible for their miseries as anyone else.
Secondly, many have claimed that collateral damage in FATA due to the ongoing military operations is inducing the affected people to kill innocent civilians (in badal). Assuming that the tribals are killing innocent civilians for any reason, badal or anti-US sentiments, is baseless. There are so many hostile agencies working in the country, especially in the tribal areas, and finding a vulnerable Pakistani, regardless of his origin, is not difficult. Unfortunately, the number of vulnerable tribesmen is more than the others. It is also absurd to consider that any tribal elder or ordinary tribal was killed because they were pro-US. Anyone who can mobilise people is a threat to the militants and the tribal leaders are killed for this reason only.
Finally, on our strategic depth policy let me say that no independent country, no matter how friendly, is going to allow us bases to launch attacks on another country. The sooner we realise this the better off we all will be. If anyone thinks they can make Afghanistan into a puppet state, they should check with the three mighty empires of the last century. We will be better off if we understood that in pursuit of strategic depth in Afghanistan, we are losing the strategic depth we had in the shape of tribal areas. FATA was the strategic depth that Pakistan required and with all the tribes together no one could dare enter FATA, as those who had ventured previously left with a bad taste in the mouth. Though having only meagre resources, the tribesmen have always defended their territory. The great Mughal Emperor Aurangzebs army was shattered in the Khyber Pass in 1672 (10,000 killed, 20,000 captured). Similar was the fate of an entire British brigade at Ahnai Tangi in Waziristan in 1920. And we should not forget the story of Dr Brydon where the tribesmen had wiped out a whole brigade of the great British Army and the doctor was the sole survivor left to tell the story.
Unfortunately, to have influence in Afghanistan we have got ourselves into a mess. Afghanistan is our natural ally. Previously, all the Afghan elite was educated in India and was indoctrinated against Pakistan, but things are different now. The new generation of Afghans has lived, studied and worked in Pakistan. They have properties, businesses and relatives here. India might have some influence in Afghanistans northern areas, but for a majority Pakistan is home. I believe it is high time we revisit our policies and try to strengthen our own people instead of banking on others. The people of FATA feel alienated today. They feel they are being disregarded and disrespected, they are being stripped of their pride and honour and before they demand revisiting the agreements they had with our great Quaid for a new social contract with the state of Pakistan, we should take urgent action.
I would like to remind the nation that nothing has been done by the constitutional reforms committee to bring FATA into the mainstream. They have not been given any provincial rights; they have not been brought into the purview of the superior judiciary and the colonial laws stay intact. We need to take urgent action or let me warn my countrymen, we are playing with fire!
The writer can be reached at gqkhan57@yahoo.com
Previously, all the Afghan elite was educated in India and was indoctrinated against Pakistan, but things are different now. The new generation of Afghans has lived, studied and worked in Pakistan. They have properties, businesses and relatives here. India might have some influence in Afghanistans northern areas, but for a majority Pakistan is home
A lot is being written on the war against terror with focus on Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the tribesmen but, unfortunately, many events are misunderstood and misinterpreted by non-FATA writers. I would like to point out that since the media is not allowed into FATA, inferences are drawn from events. Farhat Taj claimed in her article The Pakhtun, the Taliban and Imran Khan (Daily Times, December 19, 2009) that there are clear signs that the people of FATA are cooperating with the Americans to liberate their land and the success of the drone attacks and the dead bodies of spies were proof of this cooperation. Though I agree with most of the views of the writer, let me very categorically deny any cooperation between the people of FATA and the Americans. The dead bodies are not of spies but of ordinary people labelled as spies and slaughtered just to terrorise people. Drawing such inferences is totally wrong as the tribal people consider Americans as much responsible for their miseries as anyone else.
Secondly, many have claimed that collateral damage in FATA due to the ongoing military operations is inducing the affected people to kill innocent civilians (in badal). Assuming that the tribals are killing innocent civilians for any reason, badal or anti-US sentiments, is baseless. There are so many hostile agencies working in the country, especially in the tribal areas, and finding a vulnerable Pakistani, regardless of his origin, is not difficult. Unfortunately, the number of vulnerable tribesmen is more than the others. It is also absurd to consider that any tribal elder or ordinary tribal was killed because they were pro-US. Anyone who can mobilise people is a threat to the militants and the tribal leaders are killed for this reason only.
Finally, on our strategic depth policy let me say that no independent country, no matter how friendly, is going to allow us bases to launch attacks on another country. The sooner we realise this the better off we all will be. If anyone thinks they can make Afghanistan into a puppet state, they should check with the three mighty empires of the last century. We will be better off if we understood that in pursuit of strategic depth in Afghanistan, we are losing the strategic depth we had in the shape of tribal areas. FATA was the strategic depth that Pakistan required and with all the tribes together no one could dare enter FATA, as those who had ventured previously left with a bad taste in the mouth. Though having only meagre resources, the tribesmen have always defended their territory. The great Mughal Emperor Aurangzebs army was shattered in the Khyber Pass in 1672 (10,000 killed, 20,000 captured). Similar was the fate of an entire British brigade at Ahnai Tangi in Waziristan in 1920. And we should not forget the story of Dr Brydon where the tribesmen had wiped out a whole brigade of the great British Army and the doctor was the sole survivor left to tell the story.
Unfortunately, to have influence in Afghanistan we have got ourselves into a mess. Afghanistan is our natural ally. Previously, all the Afghan elite was educated in India and was indoctrinated against Pakistan, but things are different now. The new generation of Afghans has lived, studied and worked in Pakistan. They have properties, businesses and relatives here. India might have some influence in Afghanistans northern areas, but for a majority Pakistan is home. I believe it is high time we revisit our policies and try to strengthen our own people instead of banking on others. The people of FATA feel alienated today. They feel they are being disregarded and disrespected, they are being stripped of their pride and honour and before they demand revisiting the agreements they had with our great Quaid for a new social contract with the state of Pakistan, we should take urgent action.
I would like to remind the nation that nothing has been done by the constitutional reforms committee to bring FATA into the mainstream. They have not been given any provincial rights; they have not been brought into the purview of the superior judiciary and the colonial laws stay intact. We need to take urgent action or let me warn my countrymen, we are playing with fire!
The writer can be reached at gqkhan57@yahoo.com
