president. So much for the patriotism of the valiant commando whose false slogan is ‘Pakistan first’.
What is stated to have been said by the dictator publicly on television demonstrates he had little or no knowledge of Fata which is why he did not hesitate to take decisions regarding Fata without realising the consequences of his actions. This in turn supports the argument that he dragged somebody else’s war into the country, and in fighting that war got the army embroiled with its own people on its own soil.
Another important factor that contributes to the miseries of the people in Fata is the mindset of those who have either not seen the tribal areas or have been there but only served for brief periods without comprehending the intricacies and undercurrents of tribal customs and traditions, the knowledge of which is vital for the success or failure of government policies.
These people have an erroneous picture of Fata and the working of the system of government (read administration) there. They wrongly believe the people of Fata have a hand in creating or abetting militancy and that they are responsible for the safe havens of militants there. This is not true; the people of Fata have suffered more than anybody else in the whole of Pakistan. They are just the victims of circumstances created by others.
Let us not blame the outsiders for their lack of knowledge about Fata as they cannot even visit the area freely. The FCR forbids anyone from entering Fata without prior permission by the government. How ironic: Fata has been made a no-go area even for its own people.
Very little is known of the people and the system of governance that is working in Fata. How many would be aware of the fact that the entire population of Fata has been held ‘captive’ for the last 68 years. They have no government of their own nor are they consulted in any matter concerning their areas. They can neither bring in a person nor take anyone out without the concurrence of the authorities there. Whatever happens there takes place with their approval and connivance. The locals have no say in anything but in case of any untoward occurrence they are blamed while credit for anything pleasant is invariably taken by the officials working there.
Since the development of Fata is a part of the National Action Plan the government seems to be seriously considering initiating some work on that. For this purpose the task of preparing a blueprint has been entrusted to the security agencies in Peshawar who have prepared a questionnaire and are asking selected people (not all Fata residents) for feedback. Some of the important questions are: (a) Should Fata be made a province?; (b) Should Fata be merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?; (c) Should the status quo remain in Fata?; and (d) Should army cantonments be established in Fata?
These are some of the questions that the security agencies will be addressing. The basic question that arises is whether the security agencies are really the appropriate forum in a democratic country to address this issue and take a decision or even make recommendations thereto. In any other country such matters would be decided by the people elected to do so – parliament – and that too after the wishes of all those who would be affected had been fully ascertained. This is a job for a civilian government. It is time the government marked its presence in Fata and took over responsibilities in areas that have already been cleared by the security forces and where the internally displaced people are supposed to move back soon.
Fata’s painful story is nothing else but a reflection of bad governance coupled with corruption on an unbelievable scale; the tribal areas are a victim of wrong policies being implemented from a distance (Islamabad/Rawalpindi).
This needs to be changed immediately and the people residing there need to be involved in reforming their own area. This responsibility should be given to the people of the tribal areas. Others must not devise ways and means, like before, to deprive them of their right to administer themselves. They themselves must have a say in whatever is happening there and they should be made stakeholders if Fata is to be mainstreamed through development. The sooner this change takes place the better it will be not just for Fata but for Pakistan as a whole.
The writer is a former ambassador. Email: wazirukhotmail.com