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There is certainly something sinister about the Sharif government’s decision to put the long-awaited Fata reforms on the back burner. With the federal budget already announced, there is no hope of the process of the merger with KP being initiated at least for another year, if it is not deferred indefinitely.
This apparent backtracking on the critical reforms aimed at bringing the tribal regions into the national mainstream and ending their ambiguous semi-autonomous status undermines the success of the military operation in driving out militants from Fata. By denying the region its democratic and civil rights, the state is further alienating Pakistani tribesmen. The government seems to be using its junior partners to delay the reforms.
Curiously, the prime minister directed the government to hold back on the reform process while on an official visit to China after receiving a telephone call from Maulana Fazlur Rehman, one of his closest allies. It happened when the National Assembly was debating the Rewaj bill that is supposed to be part of the process to ultimately merge Fata with KP.
Although the opposition parties and many parliament members from Fata are opposed to the bill that they believe is even worse than the existing Frontier Crimes Regulation, they were still willing to cooperate with the government on mainstreaming Fata as envisaged in the plan approved by the federal cabinet. But the last-minute turnaround shocked everyone.
What was most shocking, however, was the reported explanation by the Safron minister (retired) Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch that the military was not happy with the changing of Fata’s status. Surely it was not a public statement but that is what the minister told some Fata members.
It is quite intriguing that the prime minister was ready to listen to two political leaders, Fazlur Rehman and Mahmood Khan Achakzai, and not his own party or the major opposition parties who want to expedite the mainstreaming of Fata. Most importantly, the cabinet has also approved the Fata commission’s recommendations.
Backtracking on critical reforms in Fata will undermine the success of the military operation.
For obvious reasons, the JUI-F has been opposed to the merger, and has instead demanded a referendum to allow the tribesmen to decide on the future of the region. It is apparent that the suggestion is impractical and is a delaying tactic to maintain the party’s political domination in the region.
The ban on political parties to operate in the region in the past helped establish its monopoly. But that hold started weakening. First came the rise of the Pakistani Taliban, many of whose leaders came from the party’s ranks, and then came the lifting of the ban on political activities in Fata. Not surprisingly, in the 2013 elections seats were distributed among all other major political parties. The JUI-F fears that it could lose its influence in the region once it is merged with KP.
Indeed, the party has a substantive support base in Fata, but it would be extremely difficult for it to mobilise the local population to block the reforms, provided the state does not surrender to its blackmailing. It is beyond comprehension that one phone call from the crafty cleric could force the government to abandon the reform process.
Equally disappointing is the position taken by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, another ally of the PML-N government, on the issue. As a member of parliament from Balochistan, he has been a vocal critic of changing the status of Fata. He has been raising questions about the legality of the move virtually echoing the view of the Kabul administration. Surely, his argument cannot be taken seriously against the wishes of the people of Fata.
Most intriguing, however, are the reported reservations of the security establishment. A statement issued after a meeting of formation commanders last week, reiterated military support for the impending Fata reform process But this resolve appears doubtful after the comments attributed to the Safron minister, thus adding to the confusion. Even some opposition members such as Senator Farhatullah Babar have accused the civil and military bureaucracy of obstructing the process.
If true, it is certainly cause for serious concern. More than anyone, the security establishment must understand that stability in the tribal areas will not be possible without mainstreaming Fata and integrating the region into the mainland. There is always a danger of the insurgents coming back to exploit the discontent of tribesmen deprived of their civil rights. The ambiguous status of Fata makes our western borders much more insecure. Strengthening border management was, indeed, one of the objectives of the military operation.
It will be disastrous if the reforms are delayed under the cover of any security reason. There are some concerns that rising tension with Afghanistan and the growing Afghan Taliban insurgency across the border could be used as an excuse to postpone the mainstreaming of Fata. Some unconfirmed reports suggest that one of the reasons behind the security establishment’s reservations over the merger issue is that some Afghan Taliban factions are still using the region as a sanctuary. If true, it could drag us deeper into the Afghan civil war, threatening our own security.
It is true that the security situation in most of the tribal areas has improved hugely as result of the military operations and many displaced people have returned to their homes in North and South Waziristan. But it will still take time for the population to resettle fully. It requires a much greater effort to restore the confidence of tribesmen affected by the conflict. One cannot expect the military to stay there forever as that would have its own repercussions.
It is time to move to the next step: to free the people of Fata from the retrogressive system, a legacy of the colonial period. There cannot be any justification for continuing to deprive them of their fundamental civil rights. The state must respect the sentiments of the people who want to be fully a part of this country. Any further delay would further exacerbate the situation.
The writer is an author and journalist.
Twitter: @hidhussain
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2017
