Fata: a comedy of reforms

Fata, strategically an important part of the country, has suffered tremendously as a consequence of the policies of the federal governments for the last 69 years. It has been used as a laboratory for conducting all sorts of damaging experiments by different governments.
Dictators have obligingly used it to ruthlessly further the policies of the Americans in order to curry favour with the west for obtaining legitimacy for the power usurped by them. In the process their functionaries on the ground have treated it as a colony – denying its people their basic human and democratic rights. Civilians, present there down the line, have treated it as a goldmine for padding their own pockets through so-called development schemes which have never come to fruition.
The present government is no different from its predecessors in any manner. Instead of implementing recommendations of commissions constituted earlier for reforming Fata and having approval of the president (former) it decided to go through the motion again – through its governor in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who soon after appointment constituted a commission for that purpose. After a year and a half the commission, as reported in the press, has recommended to the government, apart from other things, to form a commission to study some aspects of its recommendations before taking any action. So this is how Fata is going to be reformed.
Around a year back when I was called for a meeting with the commission in Peshawar, before giving any input I raised objections that the commission, as constituted, barring one member, consisted entirely of people from outside Fata with some of them unable even to speak Pashto leave alone having any sense of understanding of the intricacies of tribal sensibilities, customs, traditions, or way of life. I said that the members of the commission may have distinguished themselves in their respective fields but being rank outsiders did not belong to Fata. They would not be in a position to gauge the importance that tribal sensitivities, customs and traditions play in the lives of the people, and thereby in the administration, of that area. Therefore, they would not be able to do justice to the task given to them.
And this is precisely what has happened. After wasting so much time and money in the exercise the commission’s outcome turns out to be a damp squib. But who should one blame? Nobody listens and the government does not wish to ascertain whether the persons appointed are suitable and qualified to undertake the work they have been entrusted with. It is no surprise that the result is eyewash meant to waste time. This betrays the government’s reluctance to devolve even minimal powers and accord democratic rights to the people of that area, which are already available to every citizen of Pakistan in the rest of the country.
No government has ever paid attention to the importance of interacting with the people of Fata. The only much-publicised interaction is through ceremonial visits to meet a select few, which hardly counts as interaction or reforming or developing the area. Such ceremonial visits are treated as a joke by the locals who laugh as they watch from a distance. I doubt if those arranging such ‘shows’ have the courage to inform the VIPs that by shunning them they become the laughing stock for the locals as timid, powerless stooges. It has now become a joke in that area. The joke of the century.
This attitude needs to be changed. We need to find out why we have failed to develop, mainstream and reform Fata. The usual perception in Fata is that certain powerful elements do not want Fata to be developed. They want Fata backward and its people illiterate to be used to achieve strategic objectives across the western border. That may or may not be true but the simple question that comes to mind is why the civilian government has left Fata to them to handle as they wish.
Why can’t it take over control of those areas, if not all, that have been cleared of militants? Why can’t the people there be allowed to participate in finding solutions to matters of life and death for them? Why should that be left to others to decide for them? Outsiders who cannot speak their language or seldom interact with them hardly know how to solve complex social and political problems. Such people cannot be expected to be able to do anything for reforming Fata.
While these people talk of working to reform Fata, they treat the people there as if they are barbarians, ignorant of what is good or bad for them so others have to decide everything on their behalf. It is a moot point how they would react if people from Fata were to rule them without letting them have a say in running their own affairs; would they tolerate it or come out on the streets to protest? If governance of their areas by others is not good or acceptable to them then why should people of Fata accept them in that role in their area? In all fairness they should leave things to the people of Fata to handle. They know far better what is good for them and what is not. This is where the problem lies; and it must be resolved if Fata is to be reformed.
Another equally important issue is the trust deficit that exists between the security forces and the people of Fata. We should rather try to bridge the gap through steps that could address the concerns of both sides. Both sides have reservations concerning militants in the area. This has to be addressed in the light of what the army chief, Gen Raheel Sharif, has said repeatedly: that there are no good or bad militants and wherever a militant is found he must be eliminated. This statement has given some hope to the people in Fata. This must be seen to be actually taking place on the ground if trust and confidence is to be restored between the two.
If the two join hands I see no reason why should they not be able to eliminate militancy once and for all – and pretty swiftly at that. For this the people of Fata need to be treated as normal respectable citizens and not like enemy aliens. By correcting the balance law-enforcement will regain the respect and dignity they earlier had in the eyes of the locals. The two are brothers and not enemies; they have to live together and protect each other for peace and prosperity in the area. To make this possible the only factor required is trust and confidence between the two.
The writer is a former ambassador. Email: waziruk@hotmail.com