The threat of talibanisation of Pakistan : a case study of federally administered tribal areas (FATA) and north west frontier province (NWFP)

• Main Author: Syed Adnan Ali Shah Bukhari
• Other Authors: Ahmed Salah Hashim
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Political science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/65418
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The terrorist attacks in the United States of America (U.S.) on 11 September 2001 had its epicenter in Afghanistan. The subsequent U.S.-led war on terror in Afghanistan overthrew the Taliban regime in the country and dismantled Al-Qaeda (AQ) network. However, the Taliban and AQ terrorists successfully fled Afghanistan and took refuge in the adjoining Pashtun-inhabited western border areas, including the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. Gradually, the Afghan Taliban and AQ were able to spread their ideology and recruit local Pashtun tribesmen to their cause of waging jihad in Afghanistan and abroad. The rise of the Pakistani Taliban in FATA witnessed a gradual Talibanisation of the entire region between 2003-2008. The Taliban successfully exerted control over the area by side-lining the political administration in FATA. The subsequent Talibanisation virtually diminished the state authority in the region. Gradually, FATA became a no-go area for the government. During the same time, the Pakistani Taliban, after successfully Talibanising the FATA, attempted to Talibanise the adjoining North West Frontier Province or N.W.F.P. (now renamed as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province). Despite causing much mayhem in the N.W.F.P, the Taliban failed in Talibanising the Province. This thesis seeks to understand why the Pakistani Taliban were able to Talibanise the FATA region but failed to do so in the adjoining N.W.F.P., despite the fact that both are predominantly Pashtun-inhabited and share similar ethnicity, culture, language, religion and are geographically contiguous with each other. A logical explanation could be the difference in the constitutional status of both FATA and N.W.F.P., and the nature of institutions which exist in both the area. The presence of British-era archaic institutions in FATA failed to deter the onslaught of the Taliban, while formal governance institutions existing in the N.W.F.P. inhibited the Talibanisation of the Province.