'Negotiating with Militant Groups in
Pakistan'
-a teleconference-
Strengthen old tribal system, provide jobs
By Rana Fawad
WASHINGTON: The old system (of the Political Agent and Maliks)
needs to be strengthened to curb militancy in Pakistan's tribal
areas.
This was stated by Inspector General of Police of the North-West
Frontier Province (NWFP) Malik Naveed Khan while responding to a
question during a teleconference titled 'Negotiating with
Militant Groups in Pakistan' organized by the Center for
Strategic and International
Studies on Tuesday.
Co-Director Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project Rick Barton
moderated the program.
The Inspector General regretted that the office of the Political
Agent has been weakened over a period of time. He added that
given the special status of the tribal areas (called FATA -
Federally Administered Tribal
Areas) the Political Agent and Maliks (local chiefs) could have been effective in deterring the
militancy by
motivating local population.
Illustrating the situation on the ground, Malik Naveed told the
listeners that the militants were threatening even settled areas
like Peshawar city (capital of the NWFP province) by kidnapping
people, harassing barbers, warning girls schools.
He said though the security had been beefed up and measures were
being taken to push them back, the police were ill-equipped to
deal with that kind of challenge.
The IG Police explained that about 40 percent police stations in
the province were functioning without buildings.
He recommended that the police force's capacity to fight those
'invisible shadows' must be enhance and suggested the
international community should contribute in short terms as well
as long terms.
To a question, he replied that short term plan should include
provision of helicopters, APCs (Armored Personnel Carriers),
night vision goggles, bulletproof jackets, etc.
As for the long term strategy, he was of the view that job
opportunities through investment in those vulnerable areas could
bring about a huge change.
He suggested job employment program similar to the American CCC (Civilian
Conservation Corps, which was started by then President Franklin D. Roosvelt on
March 21, 1933, for the youth of the unemployed families during
the Great Depression).
He emphasized that the militants were cashing in on the jobless
youth by offering them money and paying their families cash
payment in case their sons are killed.
Responding to another question, Malik Naveed replied that the
local people were fearful of the Afghanistan-style dispensation
of Taliban.
Illustrating on what motivates the youth to join the militancy,
the top cop said poverty, illiteracy, brain washing (that they
would go to heaven), etc., help the militants recruit young
people.
As for the composition of different Taliban groups in the tribal
areas, Malik commented that the situation was similar to
Afghanistan's warlords - competing for the interests. He added that the only difference was that the militants were
using religion to justify their violent activities.
Malik Naveed believed if jobs and education were brought to that
region, the young people could be taught about the difference
between the deviant beliefs and the true version of the
religion.
He also told the audience that special police force was being
prepared to take on the new challenges posed by the militants.
Replace old system, integrate tribal areas into
mainstream
WASHINGTON: Provincial President of the Awami National Party (ANP)
and Peace Ambassador of the NWFP government Afrasiab Khattak
rejected the idea of strengthening the old system of Maliks and
Political agent and instead supported the integration of the
tribal areas into mainstream by extending the Political Parties
Act to those areas.
Speaking from Peshawar during the teleconference arranged by the
CSIS to discuss the ongoing negotiations
with the militant groups in Pakistan, he told the audience that
the peace agreement was working in Dir district whereas the
situation in Swat was strained. However, he was optimistic about
the outcome in the future.
He was critical of the fact that
FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) was under the
President's control instead of being under the provincial
authority. In his view there is a disconnect between the
province and those tribal areas.
Referring to the militancy, he commented that those places had
become no-go areas and the militants were destabilizing both
Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afrasiab Khattak also commented those
areas should be brought into mainstream and the warlords needed
to be defeated.
Propounding the solution to defeat warlords, he said the
political parties, local bodies, provincial assembly
representation, expansion of the higher courts to those areas
were some of the steps that could help bring them into
mainstream.
To a question how his government's agreements with the militants
were different from those negotiated by the previous
Musharraf-led government, Afrasiab explained that the Musharraf
government's agreements actually empowered those militants and
when the situation got out of control it used force which was
ineffective.
He illustrated that his provincial government was watching all
the agreements and in case they were violated, action was taken.
Replying to a question about the middle ground between the
militants and the ANP government for the negotiations, he
explained that the agreements were centered around the promise
to remain peaceful and not resort to any violence.
Talking about the Swat problem, Afrasiab Khattak said that as a
part of the bargain the government would introduce laws promised
during the Nawaz Sharif government in 1999. He commented that it
would give those people an opportunity to have a system based on
modern Islam and scholarship.
When asked that the distribution
and access to affordable food, gasoline, education, health, in
those areas were difficult and unequal, how the budget would be
allocated and distributed, he replied the integration was the
solution otherwise those goals would remain elusive.
To another question, is the government in Islamabad functional
these days, he said the situation was difficult because the
government was going through a transition from a military-led
administration to a political set up.
He added that if the political process was not interrupted, the
elected governments would successfully steer the country away
from the difficult times.
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