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Pakistan's Tribal Areas…The Once No-Go
Asif
Farooqi, IOL Correspondent
ISLAMABAD,
March 2 (IslamOnline.net) - The recent killing of civilians by army
soldiers in a semi autonomous area in northern Pakistan was but a new
episode of the army intervention in the once no-go Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
President
Pervez Musharraf has ordered an investigation into the killing of
eleven unarmed civilians by an army patrol when their passenger van
failed to stop as it approached an army check post in Wana, the
capital of South Waziristan agency, on Saturday February 28.
The
army public relations department claimed the causalities occurred as a
result of retaliation by the army personnel after their post came
under fire.
However,
media reports repudiated saying all passengers on board the van were
armless civilians.
The
killing triggered a backlash at the political level and the criticism
leveled at the government in the parliament prompted Musharraf to
order an immediate enquiry into the tragedy.
Many
believe that this is not the only incident that needs be investigated
and that the government should rethink its policy towards the tribal
areas which have long been governed by traditions and centuries-old
tribal laws.
British-made
The
FATA, or agencies as they are commonly known, are located on the
Pakistani side of the 2,400 kilometers porous border with Afghanistan.
According
to the 1998 national census, the seven tribal agencies, namely,
Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, Mohmand, Bajaur, North Waziristan and South
Waziristan, all inhabited by Pashtun tribes have a population of about
5.7 million.
They
were created by the British to serve as a buffer zone between
undivided India and Afghanistan after several failed attempts to
extend the British rule over to Afghanistan.
The
British devised a special system of political administration to govern
the freedom-loving Pashtun tribes who resisted colonial rule with a
determination unparalleled in the subcontinent.
The
tribal people were granted maximum autonomy and allowed to run their
affairs in accordance with their Islamic faith, customs and
traditions.
Tribal
elders, known as Maliks, were given special favors by the British in
return for services such as maintaining peace, keeping important roads
like the Khyber Pass open, and apprehending anti-state and anti-social
elements.
This
system of administration has not changed much even 51 years after
Pakistan's independence despite demands by the educated and
enlightened sections of the tribal population.
The
tribals were granted universal adult franchise in 1997 but political
parties are still outlawed there.
Earlier,
only a few thousand tribal elders were allowed to vote and contest in
parliamentary elections.
Under
Spotlight
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Tribal bonds dilute the Pakistan-Afghanistan border (AFP)
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But
this ever ignored and isolated region became center of attention in
October-November 2001 when U.S. government concentrated its military
hardware in the mountains adjacent to this area inside Afghanistan
where Osma Bin Laden was said to be hiding.
After
failing to capture him in Tora Bora mountains, the U.S. assumed Bin
Laden might have slipped into Pakistan's tribal areas where he
reportedly have many sympathizers.
This
triggered what became the first military intervention by federal
government in the tribal areas since the creation of Pakistan half a
century ago.
Following
reports that Al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives have taken refuge in the
area adjacent to the Afghani border, Pakistan sent its regular armed
forces in the area.
The
military campaign began in the early days of 2002 but first combat
operation was carried out in June 2002 in the same area where the 11
people were killed Saturday.
After
the FBI reportedly intercepted communications indicating the presence
of Al-Qaeda members in Wana, Pakistani forces guided by U.S. agents
surrounded a compound in the town around midnight.
The
hours-long battled left 10 Pakistani soldiers dead, including a major
and a captain.
After
every thing was over, Pakistani troops found two dead Al Qaeda
fighters lying beside their machine guns but there was no trace of
some 40 others who were believed to have been hiding in the house.
The
Pakistan army has fought the local tribesmen several times since then
in search of Bin Laden and supporters.
Scores
have been killed and arrested and more than five hundred have been
handed over to the US.
Once
No-go
The
incursion into the tribal areas allowed the government to establish
eight border posts on the Durand Line, which forms the border between
Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The
success of the operation was cited by Musharraf during a joint press
conference with U.S. President George W Bush in Washington in late
2002.
"Pakistani
forces had for the first time in over a century entered the tribal
areas in search of Al-Qaeda members," he said.
Musharraf
told the American media he had taken a huge risk by ordering his
military into the tribal areas in pursuit of Bin laden and other
fugitives wanted by the U.S.
However,
government spokesmen back home were making no mention of Al-Qaeda
factor in the army operation in the once "no-go areas."
Instead,
they claimed it came in response to demands by the tribal people who
wanted the under-developed Mohmand area to be opened up to rapid
development.
The
military operation is a very well coordinated with the U.S. forces
based across the border in Afghanistan.
While
Pakistani soldiers were battling tribesmen in Mohmand agency, U.S.
troops based in Afghanistan were deployed across the border in
Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.
Now
U.S. military officials have said they are planning a spring offensive
in Afghanistan in the hopes of capturing bin Laden.
This
is most probably the reason why the Pakistan army is in the tribal
area, despite some other domestic and political reasons.
The
gigantic task of capturing Bin Laden could only have been undertaken
by the regular army.
The
total strength of the provincial police, including officers and
reserve personnel, is 34,000 of ill-equipped, poorly trained and
poorly paid people.
While
a strong military continues the hunt for Bin Laden with the help of
satellites and other state-of-the-art equipment provided by the U.S.,
Maliks might still be the best solution to pinpointing Bin Laden's
location and identifying him.
This
is why Washington has recently jacked up the bounty for most of
Al-Qaeda fugitives.
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