Governing Fata

The governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, who had been chief minister and a sitting member of the provincial assembly before taking charge of his post, has assumed his new responsibilities at a very difficult and trying time.
Although he is not a novice to the politics of that province, Fata will be a new challenge for him. He does not belong to that area nor does he speak the language of the people there. To add to his troubles, the area has been in a state of militancy for the last many years.
The governor’s new assignment is full of challenges but a major advantage he has is that being a close confidant of the prime minister, he is in a position to take bold initiatives for handling the situation, which perhaps others may not have been able to do. He will also have to ensure that he follows the right path, the path that the common people want him to take and not one to which he is adroitly guided in official briefings by officers who profess to be masters at tackling every problem under the sun in Fata without ever having even visited the area or having any familiarity with the way difficult matters are resolved by the tribal people in accordance with their time-tested norms.
Governor Mehtab’s reputation of having proved his worth as a good administrator when he was chief minister of the province has travelled to Fata faster than him. Therefore, the people there have great expectations from him for resolution of the problems that they have living with for such a long time.
The assumption is that he will do everything within his power to provide immediate relief to the people despite the fact that he has assumed office at a critical time when militancy is at its peak, the talks with the Taliban are not making any headway and millions of IDPs are eagerly waiting to be able to safely return home.
At the same time across the western border in Afghanistan foreign forces are preparing for withdrawal which is to be preceded by a new government taking over in the country. Our neighbours are gearing up to meet new challenges after withdrawal. Some pessimists feel that the country will fall further into turmoil with the attendant consequence of more bloodletting. Should that happen we will have to be yet more cautious about the spill-over effects into Pakistan, especially at a time when we are still mired in a war against militancy that has ruined the country.
The people of Fata have suffered a lot and have rendered unmatched sacrifices for return of peace to the country. They deserve to be treated far better than the way they have been dealt with but no serious effort has been made to this end so far. One of the reasons for this negligence is the absence of civil government from the area for the last ten years.
Everything was left to the security forces. Having no experience in public dealing even simple matters like routine checking have become problems due to the security personnel’s crude mannerism. A lot has been written about such difficulties but nobody listens as locals in Fata have no voice and outsiders are either apathetic or hesitant to convey such truth to those who matter in Rawalpindi.
In such a situation one hopes the governor will pay attention to these grievances and try to find a solution as this has nothing to do with militancy or adversely affecting the security situation there. It is more a question of according the locals courtesy and due respect to which they are entitled and not treating them like citizens of a conquered country. They do not expect the new governor to immediately commence major developmental projects but they do expect him to start with bringing some kind of normalcy to the roads as was the case before 9/11 or as is elsewhere in the country.
When talking of tackling militancy one cannot ignore the importance of Mehtab’s position as chief executive for Fata. He needs to restore the eroded authority of his position so that he – and not those in khaki alone – is in a position to start calling the shots otherwise he will be as ineffective as his predecessors.
The menace of militancy, which originated from Fata, has over the years developed deep roots cannot be purged easily. To do that one has to be powerful enough to take decisions on the spot. And for the governor to be in that position he will need the blessings of GHQ. Will he have them?
As far as the talks process with the Taliban in Fata is concerned it would be in the fitness of things were the governor to take charge of the negotiations in his capacity as chief executive of that area. It will be easy for him to make arrangements for meetings between the two sides as all officials working in Fata are under his command. The local people and the Taliban would also take him more seriously than anyone else because Fata happens to be his main responsibility.
This is the right path to follow to resolve the problems of that region, provided due care is taken of the established norms in such matters in that areas. Once the process of negotiation is established on these lines other avenues for peace will follow.
The writer is a former ambassador.
Email: waziruk@hotmail.com