PESHAWAR: Tribal people may not be familiar with the genius of Albert Einstein, but his saying “Peace can’t be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding,” has found receptive ears in Kurram Agency where thirst for peace and social development has been felt more than ever.

Its inhabitants have started realising their problems rather than indulging in sectarianism and other none issues. Local people seek sustainable peace, quality education for their children, health facilities, good governance and accountability of officials of line departments who have allegedly plundered national wealth in the name of development.

Even in these challenging times, sanity prevails. As sun rays strike the snowy peaks of Spin Ghar (white mountain) in the morning, flocks of boys and girls start rushing towards schools and colleges.

Combined education has been introduced in some schools at primary level. Females are getting almost equal opportunities of education and employment in a tribal society. Female doctors are running their clinics and teachers and lady health workers can move without fear. Kurram is free of polio and refusal ratio is less than two per cent. The agency has the highest literacy rate in the entire Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Administratively Kurram is different from the rest of tribal agencies. It is the only administrative unit in Fata which has well-documented land revenue record designed by the British Government in early 1930s. Besides, it has “Riwaj-i-Kurram or Turizona” – a traditional law in written form – which provides mechanism for resolving disputes among families and tribes.

It is true that the writ of the government has eroded to some extent due to militancy and four-year long lawlessness. Political administration and Malik or elders; the two main pillars of the system, are still intact and it can be resurrected to the previous position. Economic indicators are comparatively satisfactory because the area is fertile and a large number of tribesmen work abroad.

Realising this potential, Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan started his maiden tour to Fata from Kurram Agency. He announced at a joint tribal jirga held in Parachinar on Tuesday last that Kurram Agency would be made “model agency” in Fata.

About two years ago, Kurram Agency was different. It looked like a “ghost valley” and virtually turned into a no-go area. Shia could not pass through Sunni majority areas and vice versa.

Sectarianism is not as formidable a factor as it is accentuated by local administration and officers of the line departments for their own convenience, which unfortunately also divided paramilitary forces, Levies forces and officials of the local administration. This has had an impact.

Non-local teachers posted in colleges and schools in the agency don’t join their duties on the pretext of security situation. But the ground reality is that officials from outside have never come under attack especially in upper sub-division.

At a vaccination camp in Sadda, tehsil headquarters of lower sub-division this week, the governor was informed that unlike other tribal agencies Kurram had presently two agency surgeons looking after health services in their respective territories.

“Why two surgeons instead of one,” he asked Political Agent Riaz Mehsud. The officer explained that after sectarian violence Shia officer had been deputed in the Shia dominated areas and for Sunni majority areas there is a Sunni surgeon. “Administration is administration. It should be neither Shia nor Sunni,” he told the local administration and joint tribal jirga.

Sitting in the sprawling Governor House in Peshawar, Sardar Mahtab looks ambitious to put the eroded administrative system back on track in Fata. He selected Kurram Valley for this Herculean task.

In his address to the joint jirga, he announced computerisation of land revenue record of Kurram to resolve disputes among different tribes over the ownership of land, forests and irrigation water, which are ultimately turned into sectarian violence by the vested interests.

The second initiative he announced was third party evaluation of a multi-million development project in farming sector in Kurram.

He directed engagement of students of Agriculture University, Peshawar, in evaluation of the project. Involvement of external project evaluators in tribal area where billions of funds are spent every year in social and economic sectors is also an uphill task for the governor.

“A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, but unfortunately we have yet to take the first step,” he told Dawn. He has also planned to strengthen traditional mechanism of governance in the tribal society and after that new reforms would be introduced. But he is facing a daunting task of how to deal with the shrewd maliks and tricky bureaucrats, who have always opposed reforms in the system. Reforms and governance in Kurram will be a test case for him.