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Pakistan Paves Way to Mainstreaming Restive Tribal Areas

24th May, 2018 · admin 15 Comments

pakistanAyesha Tanzeem
VOA News
May 24, 2018

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s national assembly passed a historic constitutional amendment Thursday, paving the way to bringing the restive Federally Administered Tribal Areas, known as FATA, into the political mainstream, just a week before the end of its tenure. The bill will be taken up Friday in the Senate.

Until now, the area bordering Afghanistan was treated as a separate administrative unit with limited interference from the Pakistani government. It was loosely governed by local tribal law and British-era regulations. It also lagged behind the rest of the country in terms of infrastructure and basic facilities like schools and hospitals.

The region was home to various militant groups that had entrenched themselves over decades, starting with the Afghan war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

After U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban in Afghanistan, many runaway members of al-Qaida, the Taliban and other militant groups were believed to have taken refuge in these tribal regions, using friendships and links they had developed during the “Soviet jihad” and subsequent Taliban rule.

“The tribal area was used as a special area to create Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union. … Then the militant groups recognized the loopholes in the law and based themselves here,” said political analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi.

Ever since the Taliban insurgency against the American and NATO presence in Afghanistan gained ground in the early 2000s, the United States and Afghanistan have repeatedly alleged that militants carrying out attacks in Afghanistan have havens in Pakistan, especially FATA.

Over the last 10 years, Pakistan’s military has carried out multiple operations in the area and claims it has eliminated the havens.

“Our assessment is that the regular safe havens are no more there. Still, these people come and go to Afghanistan,” Rizvi said. He said this was easy to do since the regular Taliban fighters, unlike the top leadership, were not easily identifiable. They could cross the border and live in the tribal area with a relative or in a refugee camp.

The militancy, and the military operations to clear it, created grievances among the local population, giving rise to a youth-driven movement for the rights of FATA called the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement.

A leader of the movement, Mohsin Dawar, said the merger on its own would not solve their grievances. The movement is calling for the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission to listen to the grievances of the local population and find a solution.

During his address to the assembly, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the most urgent need of the area was to bring it to par with the rest of the country in terms of development. He called on the House to commit to provide FATA with almost $9 million a year for the next 10 years for development.

Efforts to change the status of the area had been ongoing for almost four years; however, the bill was delayed because of opposition from two of the government’s allies in the parliament. They wanted FATA to become an independent province with its own provincial government, chief minister and governor.

The current bill calls for the area to be merged into the neighboring Khyberpakhtunkhwa (KPK) province.

The transition period will last several years.


Posted in Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations | Tags: Pashtunistan, Pashtuns |
« 1TV Afghanistan Dari News May 24, 206
Pakistani Senate Looks Into Concerns of Hazara Minority »

15 thoughts on “Pakistan Paves Way to Mainstreaming Restive Tribal Areas”

  1. Baghlani says:
    May 24, 2018 at 8:59 pm

    YOU ARE WRONG !
    *************************
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    =================•==•••••••••••
    OT IS THE ANGLO/US
    PARASITES
    WHO
    ARE
    DICTATING PAKISTAN INTO IT.
    ==========
    ==========
    I CALL IT:
    .

    A
    “DIRTY GREAT GAME”

    Reply
  2. Baghlani says:
    May 24, 2018 at 9:06 pm

    IT PROVES IT ALL;
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
    PAKISTAN IS NOT
    AN
    INDEPENDENT COUNTRY !
    *******
    *******
    ITS MATERIAL AND HUMAN
    RESOURCES
    ARE ENTIRELY
    CONTROLLED; EXPLOITED AND MANIPULATED
    AT THE DISPOSAL OF
    THE AGENTS
    OF
    ANGLO/US
    PARASITES.
    =====
    =======
    =========
    ===========
    =============
    *WAKE UP
    PAKISTAN !

    Reply
  3. Baghlani says:
    May 24, 2018 at 9:09 pm

    *AFGHANISTAN
    WILL NEVER HAVE
    PEACE
    AS LONG AS
    PAKISTAN
    REMSINS ENSLAVED- PERIOD.
    ***
    **
    *
    Now- that is the fact !

    Reply
  4. Baghlani says:
    May 24, 2018 at 9:17 pm

    YES;
    you won’t see any sign of
    God-given
    light of peace, in Afghanistan,
    as long as the
    Anglo/US
    remain in charge
    of the
    enslaved
    Pakistan.
    **********
    So;
    what is the matter with
    you all
    “goofy Pakistanis” ?????

    Reply
  5. Baghlani says:
    May 24, 2018 at 9:18 pm

    *WAKE UP !

    Reply
  6. Baghlani says:
    May 25, 2018 at 3:42 am

    TWO HUNDRED MILLIONS ARE
    TREATED LIKE SLAVES- THEY ARE
    NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO MANUFACTURE THE SIMPLEST BICYCLE PARTS IN DEPRIVED PAKISTAN.
    .
    AND IT IS ALL THE JAPANESE AUTOMOBILES THAT ARE JAMMING THE BUSY STREETS, ROADS.AND INTERSECTIONS.
    ***************

    Reply
  7. Baghlani says:
    May 25, 2018 at 3:46 am

    The Anglo.US politicians proclaim to the world that deprived Pakistan possesses atomic bomb, (and only one), which seriously require rather extremely sophisticated technological and theoretical know-how knowledge.

    Reply
  8. Baghlani says:
    May 25, 2018 at 3:49 am

    *POOR
    PAKISTAN HAS NONE OF IT.
    ****************************
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    COME ON !

    Reply
  9. Baghlani says:
    May 25, 2018 at 3:56 am

    *Well; then the question
    arises whether why the
    Pakistani people seem so happy sometimes and so proud and content
    about the fake accomplishment ?????

    Reply
  10. Baghlani says:
    May 25, 2018 at 4:01 am

    Well obviously; the ANGLO/US rats
    are making fun of Pakistan- and not only that; they are also shamelessly insulting the intelligence and common sense of all PAKISTANIS; ALL “200 MILLIONS”
    OF THEM.

    Reply
  11. Baghlani says:
    May 25, 2018 at 4:13 am

    *AND IRONICALLY; THE PAKISTANI STUPID ELITE ARE JUST ENJOYING THE FAKE SHOWS AND THEIR FREE MEALS.

    THEY DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE. THEIR FOREIGN MASTERS ARE HAPPY AND CONTENT AS WELL- FOR BEING ABLE TO CONTROL ALL THE VALUABLE
    HUMAN AND MATERIAL
    RESOURCES
    OF NAIVE PAKISTANIS; JUST RXACTLY LIKE
    MILKING A
    FAT COW,

    Reply
  12. Baghlani says:
    May 25, 2018 at 4:15 am

    NOW; HOW
    CAN YOU
    BEAT THAT ?????

    Reply
  13. Baghlani says:
    May 25, 2018 at 4:15 am

    *GOOD LUCK !

    Reply
  14. Baghlani says:
    May 25, 2018 at 4:35 am

    NO DOUBT; THERE ARE
    GREAT MINDS IN PAKISTAN- BUT; IF
    ONLY THEY WOULD HAVE THE
    RIGHT CHANCE AND OPPORTUNITIES
    TO MAKE
    THE WHOLE REGION, TOGETHER WITH THE REST, AS GLORIOUS AS USED TO BE; ALBEIT, ON MODERN
    CIVILIZED BASIS.

    Reply
  15. Baghlani says:
    May 25, 2018 at 4:36 am

    LET US HOPE
    FOR
    THAT
    BLESSED DAY !!!!!

    Reply

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