Friday, January 30, 2026

FATA-past and present

By Syed Mazhar Ali Shah

by WNAM:
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When Pakistan was created back in 1947 only 25 percent area of FATA was politically and physically accessible for persons belonging to revenue districts who considered it unsafe to travel inside FATA without security guards provided by political agents. Due to collective efforts of the political administration and tribal chieftains FATA was 85 percent politically and physically accessible at the time when it was being merged with KPK. This fact wax eloquent of the efficacy of political administration which did this commendable job without firing a single bullet and getting things done through political dialogue with the tribes concerned.
In their heart of hearts the tribesmen abhorred the judicial and police system in vogue in the revenue districts for some cogent reasons. For instance, they believed that their own riwaji jirga system under which they decided their criminal and civil issues was far better than the judicial system in vogue in settled districts because they cannot afford high fees of the lawyers and inordinate delay in the decision of cases in the revenue districts.
It was wrongly propagated that FCR was the brainchild of Brits. The fact of the matter was that the jirga system which formed the core of the FCR existed well before tribal area came under British rule. The Brits only codified it on the form of Frontier Crimes Regulation. The FCR stood the test of time and ensured much better law and order than what is after the merger of FATA with the KPK.

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