Merged districts in dire need of local governments

Occasional communications with locals in the former districts of FATA, particularly in the northern districts of Khyber, Bajaur, Orakzai and Kurram, indicate that militants and terrorists are trying to regroup and have resumed their activities, albeit at a low level.

However, these activities have been marked by major attacks, such as the one in Bajaur in July 2023, which killed more than 50 people. Recent terrorist attacks on security personnel in South Waziristan district further indicate that terrorists are trying to revive their networks. This situation calls for immediate action to ensure lasting peace in the former FATA, which was merged with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in 2018 through the 25th amendment to the Constitution.

The reports of terrorists regrouping in the merged tribal districts (MTDs) of KP are alarming as peace has been restored only after huge sacrifices by the people of these areas for over a decade. If peace is disrupted again in the MTDs of KP, the consequences could be disastrous and it would be almost impossible to restore law and order and social control in these geographically challenging regions. The most effective way to achieve lasting peace in the region is through large-scale, multi-dimensional development.

Although the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government announced a commitment of one trillion rupees (one hundred billion per year) over ten years for development in these areas in 2019, these funds have not been fully utilised for various reasons. Moreover, the funds released so far have not had a significant impact due to inappropriate utilisation. Despite the federal and KP governments having numerous institutions and strategies for development work in the MTOs, these efforts have not yielded substantial results yet.

A visit to one of the most accessible districts, Khyber, which borders the provincial capital Peshawar, reveals the dire socio-economic conditions there. The best way to prevent the rise and growth of extremist and terrorist groups in the tribal regions is through development, and the most effective way to achieve this development is through large-scale community participation. This participation can only be achieved if the people have forums for participation and self-governance at the grassroots level, which depends on the establishment of local government structures.

It is important to note that although the process of integrating the erstwhile FATA into KP province was completed in May 2018, it is still incomplete. The regroupment attempts by terrorists and recent attacks in the MTDs underscore the urgent need to establish normal governance institutions and secure the international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Establishing normal governance institutions in the ex-FATA is crucial. Over the past 15 years, unprecedented terrorism by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its foreign affiliates like Al Qaeda, who took refuge in the tribal belt of Pakistan, has devastated the region economically, politically, administratively and psychologically. The minimal state apparatus that existed in the tribal region was swept away by terrorism. Although successful military operations against local and international terrorist groups have brought some stability to the former FATA, the region is far from normal.

The merger of erstwhile FATA with KP, announced by the federal government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) (2013-2018) with the support of major political parties like the PPP and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was a controversial move. However, it is now history and the tribal belt is to be integrated with KP despite numerous challenges. Recognizing the difficulties in integration and the resulting vacuum after the merger of FATA with KP, the government introduced the FATA Interim Regulatory Framework, replacing the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) to address these issues.

Today, the critical issue is not only the integration of FATA but also the establishment of normal and self-reliant governance structures. A major step in this direction was the holding of local government elections in the MTDs in December 2021 and March 2022, besides LG elections in the rest of KP. However, the most crucial step is the establishment of viable and vibrant local governments in all tribal districts.

Unfortunately, the deep political instability in the country has hampered this process. The ouster of the PTI government of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in April 2022 and the subsequent dissolution of the KP Provincial Assembly in February 2023 led to a deep political crisis. As a result, local governments in several districts of KP, especially the MTDs, remain largely nominal and unable to play a significant role in the development of the region. Effective local governance structures are essential for the development and stabilization of the former FATA regions, and without them, progress remains superficial and inadequate.

It is important to remember that national and international so-called jihadist organizations and individuals find the environment in former FATA highly conducive to establishing their base for regional insurgency and international terrorism under the guise of Islam. These negative developments in FATA are rooted in the long-standing political and legal vacuum in these areas, mainly due to the absence of local government structures. This vacuum has hampered the establishment of state authority in the region and prevented development and provision of basic needs of the people.

Profound social, political and economic changes, particularly in the 21st century, have further exposed the shortcomings of the colonial-era legal and administrative structures of the former FATA. These outdated structures failed to address the complex problems and needs of the growing population, gradually rendering the existing administrative apparatus redundant. As a result, the already limited authority of the state in the tribal region eroded, allowing negative trends to flourish. Local, national and international terrorist and militant groups, as well as criminal gangs such as kidnappers and extortionists, took advantage of the situation and established their bases in the region.

There is little awareness within the policy-making institutions of Pakistan regarding the need to formulate a new administrative system for the region. There has been no serious attempt to introduce a fully functional local government or municipal council system in FATA to provide rudimentary modern governance.

Establishing viable local governments is urgently needed to restore law and order in the tribal districts and to sustain these structures. Introducing functional local government systems is crucial to creating a stable administrative framework that can respond to the needs of the region and prevent further exploitation by militant and criminal elements.