PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN FATA: SOME REFLECTIONS
PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN FATA: SOME REFLECTIONS
Manzoor Ahmad Naazer*
Peace and harmony in FATA is essential for peace, progress and prosperity in Pakistan and Afghanistan. FATA is an area the hit by violence the worst in both countries. Allegedly, it is an epicenter of militancy and cause of sufferings of people in both countries. In turn, it also increases miseries of the people living in FATA caused by heightened search and security operations by Pakistani forces besides drone strikes and other attacks from across the border.
The prevailing situation in FATA warrants an in-depth analysis of the problem. The present researcher intends to explore the root causes of the problem and to suggest remedial measures. The study has been divided into five parts: the first part contains a brief introduction of FATA; the second and third part consists of a survey of the underlying and proximate causes of militancy in FATA, respectively; fourth part includes some recommendations / policy guidelines, and; fifth part is the concluding one.
I
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), consisting of 7 agencies and 6 Tribal Regions, covers an area of 27220 sq. km inhabited by 3.15 million people. FATA was one of the most peaceful areas of the country till the dawn of the 21st century when the situation took a new turn in the history of the area. After 9/11, Pakistani policies created strong resentment among the people of the area which ultimately led to the rise of militancy. The ongoing insurgency has so far taken lives of over 50,000 people in Pakistan besides costing a loss of more than $ 100 billion since 2001.
* The author is a Ph. D. scholar and also works as Research Associate at the Department of Politics & International Relations, Faculty of Social Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad. II There are several underlying and proximate causes of the ongoing problem in FATA. The UNDERLING CAUSES include:
a. Political,
Manzoor Ahmad Naazer*
Peace and harmony in FATA is essential for peace, progress and prosperity in Pakistan and Afghanistan. FATA is an area the hit by violence the worst in both countries. Allegedly, it is an epicenter of militancy and cause of sufferings of people in both countries. In turn, it also increases miseries of the people living in FATA caused by heightened search and security operations by Pakistani forces besides drone strikes and other attacks from across the border.
The prevailing situation in FATA warrants an in-depth analysis of the problem. The present researcher intends to explore the root causes of the problem and to suggest remedial measures. The study has been divided into five parts: the first part contains a brief introduction of FATA; the second and third part consists of a survey of the underlying and proximate causes of militancy in FATA, respectively; fourth part includes some recommendations / policy guidelines, and; fifth part is the concluding one.
I
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), consisting of 7 agencies and 6 Tribal Regions, covers an area of 27220 sq. km inhabited by 3.15 million people. FATA was one of the most peaceful areas of the country till the dawn of the 21st century when the situation took a new turn in the history of the area. After 9/11, Pakistani policies created strong resentment among the people of the area which ultimately led to the rise of militancy. The ongoing insurgency has so far taken lives of over 50,000 people in Pakistan besides costing a loss of more than $ 100 billion since 2001.
* The author is a Ph. D. scholar and also works as Research Associate at the Department of Politics & International Relations, Faculty of Social Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad. II There are several underlying and proximate causes of the ongoing problem in FATA. The UNDERLING CAUSES include:
a. Political,