POLITICAL REFORMS IN THE FORMER FEDERALLY ADMINISTERED TRIBAL AREAS (FATA) OF PAKISTAN AND TRIBAL PEOPLE RESPONSE: FROM A MYTH & RHETORIC TO REALITY
Keywords:
FATA, Frontier Tribesmen, Stereotypes, Political Reforms,, Public Participation, Myths and RealitiesAbstract
Introducing genuine reforms and integrating the former FATA region in the national mainstream is indeed a challenging task. To suggest reforms and bring governance improvements in the tribal region, successive governments have constituted more than a dozen reform commissions and committees. Ironically, the tribal people, who are the key stakeholders, have always been side-lined in the reform debates. Their views and input have neither been genuinely consulted nor incorporated in the reform policies. It is generally asserted that tribal people are highly traditional and ultraconservative. They want to intact their tribal identity and have persistently opposed all those reforms and development initiatives that bring any changes to the tribal self-governing system. This research investigates the tribal people’ views and response to political reforms and development initiatives in the tribal region. The study concludes that the tribal people have long yearned for reforms, developments, and peace in the tribal region. However, these voices were either misrepresented, or remained unheard. Secondly, any reform intervention in the tribal region can only become a success story when it has strong social support base and acceptability in the tribal society. The active involvement of tribal people is sine qua non for comprehensive reform policies and its successful implementation.
References
Introducing genuine reforms and integrating the former FATA region in the national mainstream is indeed a challenging task. To suggest reforms and bring governance improvements in the tribal region, successive governments have constituted more than a dozen reform commissions and committees. Ironically, the tribal people, who are the key stakeholders, have always been side-lined in the reform debates. Their views and input have neither been genuinely consulted nor incorporated in the reform policies. It is generally asserted that tribal people are highly traditional and ultraconservative. They want to intact their tribal identity and have persistently opposed all those reforms and development initiatives that bring any changes to the tribal self-governing system. This research investigates the tribal people’ views and response to political reforms and development initiatives in the tribal region. The study concludes that the tribal people have long yearned for reforms, developments, and peace in the tribal region. However, these voices were either misrepresented, or remained unheard. Secondly, any reform intervention in the tribal region can only become a success story when it has strong social support base and acceptability in the tribal society. The active involvement of tribal people is sine qua non for comprehensive reform policies and its successful implementation.
