THE problem with forgotten areas and expedient deals is, among things, that they inevitably slip back into the news — and often in a way that is worse than the original problem. Mangal Bagh, leader of the Lashkar-i-Islam, a militant-cum-criminal group from the Bara region of Khyber Agency, is flexing his muscles once again. This time he has given an ultimatum to local people in his strongholds in the Bara area to either enrol their children in a specific madressah by Eid or pay a fine of Rs400,000. By now, the besieged natives of Mangal Bagh’s strongholds have become familiar with the warlord’s extremist demands that range from a ban on shaving beards to mandating a prayer cap be worn by all males.

Yet, the more interesting story is how and why Mangal Bagh continues to survive, if not thrive. While not quite a good Taliban, he has played all sides against each other to ensure his own existence and demand. To the army-led security establishment, his usefulness comes from his claim that he is acting as a bulwark against the outlawed TTP, sections of which have moved into non-Mangal Bagh-controlled regions of Bara in recent times. To the TTP, he presents himself as a tactical ally who can keep the army at bay because of his good relations with them. Meanwhile, he continues to indulge in new businesses and fights, including with some Afghanistan-based TTP elements in an alleged row over who controls lucrative drug smuggling operations. Yet, while Mangal Bagh may be a canny survivor, the more important question is overlooked: how does it serve Pakistan’s interests to have a criminal gang leader who uses rabid religiosity to thrive? Mangal Bagh and his scheming are just a microcosm of a problem wherein the state either actively collaborates with or turns a blind eye to dangerous elements in a bid to secure short-term peace or simply avoid conflict. What though about the population that Mangal Bagh terrorises? Surely, if a state abdicates its responsibilities for long enough and cedes control to local thugs, winning back the local population will become all that more difficult. The impunity with which Mangal Bagh operates ought to be unacceptable, but sadly it is not.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2014