Where does Fata’s money go?

Islamabad was host to visitors from the West once again. The British had hardly completed their meetings in Islamabad and Rawalpindi when US secretary of state Hillary Clinton arrived in the capital. Such visits do not auger well for Fata. Let us hope this time we are wrong. British foreign secretary William Hague announced provision of a substantial amount for poverty alleviation and reconstruction of the areas affected by the militancy on the Pakistani-Afghan border.

Our prime minister, who had earlier linked development in Fata only to the return of peace in that area, was quick to assure Mr Hague that the funds would be utilised in the tribal areas. Let us hope that this time the funds will be actually spent in Fata, not diverted elsewhere.

Until these foreign leaders invasion of our capital, the ruling party did not tire of making claims about a new budget which provided adequate funds for projects all over the country. What it did not remember was Fata’s share in the budget. It spared a meagre amount of Rs8 billion for that area, though it was later raised to Rs12 billion.

While the budget was still in the process of approval, the tribal parliamentarians and officials of the Fata Secretariat decided to hold a meeting in Islamabad to consider how best the amount could be utilised in their area. Instead, the participants started accusing each other of incompetence and corruption. And these are individuals who are supposed to be custodians of the funds. A Pashto proverb goes: “Yow da lwagey marhe do bal ye sar tha parathey gokhtey.” (A man was dying of hunger and another was looking for parathas under the dying man’s pillow.)

Fata’s people were discriminated against when they became IDPs and are now receiving step-motherly treatment in the budget, whereas they deserved special consideration and extra funding in view of the devastation caused by the nine-year war in their area.

The prevailing law-and-order situation in the country was one of the strongest arguments used in support of the increase in the defence budget. The military’s involvement in counterinsurgency operations in Fata further strengthened this argument. On the other hand, when an increase was sought in development funds for the area, the demands were disregarded.

It is an established fact that an insurgency cannot be defeated through military action alone. The effort has to include development and eradication of poverty so as to remove the root causes of militancy. Where on earth is the military engaged in combat operations? Isn’t it Fata? Why, then, is attention not paid to this important aspect is beyond my comprehension.

Successive governments have promised to bring Fata at par with the rest of the country, but none of them did anything for the development of the area.

I believe that the absence of political parties in Fata is a major contributing factor to the area’s backwardness. A political leadership would have ensured that Fata received its due share in the budget. Local politicians would have lodged strong protests, or possibly even resigned from their seats in parliament, if their demands for Fata’s development were ignored.

The trust deficit has further widened with the president going back on his promised political and economic reforms in Fata, including extension of the Political Parties Act to the territory.

What have the members of parliament from Fata done for their region? Absolutely nothing. They abandoned the area when they were needed most. They are taken for granted by the federal government, which is certain that they would be on its side, come what may. That is why they were not consulted when the military operations were launched in Fata, nor listened to regarding distribution of funds under the budget.

The situation in Fata is fast deteriorating. The war on terror has made the poor of that area even poorer. We need to bring them out of this situation. Eradication of this menace would help eliminate militancy there.

The people of Fata are aware of the economic difficulties faced by the country. They also know about the large amounts given by the US, European and other foreign governments for Fata’s development. What they are unaware of is: where does that money go? Obviously, it is spent somewhere else, for some purposes other than, say, creation of job opportunities for people in the tribal areas. The government needs to address this issue by taking corrective measures, rather than leaving it to the military to resolve matters through the use of force.

The present crisis is not of the making of Fata’s inhabitants. It has been created by factors beyond their control. Continued neglect by the government has brought Fata to the brink of disaster. The injustices done to them are innumerable. The tragic incidents that took place in Lahore and Mohmand Agency recently are a classic example of the government’s different attitudes towards people of the two parts of the same country. In the case of the Data Darbar blast, VIPs, including the prime minister himself, made a beeline to Lahore. On the other hand, in Yakka Ghund of Fata’s Mohmand Agency there was no one to represent the government and sympathise with the families of the victims.

The younger generation is fast losing patience. It is frustrated and has reached a stage where it is being forced to fight for the inhabitants’ rights. Young people are facing difficulties in every field, but what is completely unjustified is the difficulties they face in getting admissions in educational institutions.

I recently met a group of young tribesmen studying at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad who were lucky to have been admitted there. But they face delays in receiving funds from scholarships already approved by the government. It is another matter that there will be no jobs waiting for them when they complete their education, Nor will there be other means for them to earn a respectable living in their own areas.

Fata should be made a separate province, and the money that is donated by foreign governments for its development handed over to the elected council, representing all the seven tribal agencies. The people of Fata are confident that this will solve their problems. The government should listen to them and act accordingly. It should give them the opportunity to solve their problems themselves. They are Pakistanis, after all, and should be trusted as such.

The writer, who hails from Fata, is a former ambassador. Email: waziruk@hotmail.com