Muhammad Shoaib
The war on terror, against, the so called Al-Qaeda leadership started by Imperial powers in Afghanistan, after the 9/11 incident. Unfortunately, the war also joined by Pakistan that greatly destroyed our peace and progress. Slowly and gradually, the whole intensity of this alien conflict shifted into Tribal Areas. It became an epicenter of all kinds of terrorist activities, which not only threaten the State’s writ but also got confronted the innocent tribal people with a lot of horrendous tragedies and conflicts.
Relations between masters and gladiators in the region notably emerged during the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan in 1979. The arena has been fixed for the dreadful war, named the Tribal belt. The belt was the real strength of the masters filled with professional and loyal gladiators. The bond got strengthen and strengthen, the invader got weaker and weaker. The second notorious ‘Great Game’ finished on disintegration of the invader (Russian Empire). The post-war era gave birth to new regional order; strategies changed, loyalties shifted, polarization emerged and needs changed into desires among the masters-masters and the masters-gladiators. The arena left for the gladiators and got them gratis to live and do what they wish for.
The gladiators started thinking over their own system primarily, based on the model of Tehty Sulman in their explanation. The two-third part of the model successfully completed. But during the third and final phase of the model, the new war in the name of war on terror started by their old disloyal masters against them. The arena which was used as the safe haven in the past came across under full imperial wrath. The internal and external masters who understood that now, their old clients became violent serpents against them. The master- master relations and the masters-gladiators relations shifted into two narratives that left a great plow on the tribal region especially and on the State of Pakistan generally.
The gladiators have right now a zero plus presence in the arena and ironically, the master-master relation is also going worse. Now, the real master (Pakistan) of the belt has a worthy position. The ostensible victory now, make the real master of the tribal area, to step forward for national integration, but unfortunately, any mindful change on the part of the tribal belt is looking dead at all. The political demagogues neither in the past nor in present even bother to make even their little into the draconian system prevailing in the region. The space can offer a worthy chance to losers’ narrative, and everyone knows the mighty strength of that. In the context of ‘Time and space’ failure always looks to those who do not believe in the beauty of their dreams, prefers stagnancy over efforts.
The gist failure of Pakistani nation from the very first day is its detachment with time and space. More importantly, now, we have both time and space but incapable how to take it on mind. The Tribal Belt is now fully fertile for the seeds, we have sown in rest of the state’s territories but most unfortunately, we are delaying constructive efforts in this direction although, having time and space. The tribal people are now educated and they can understand what they have in the name of administration and governance system. The threats can come into sight to the state’s writ in the near or far future, if the people come across under more education. Education instigates to knowledge and knowledge then towards the real world.
True knowledge often makes people rebellions against injustice and exploitation, like the Muslims in the sub-continent, the Kurds currently, in turkey, Iran and Iraq, Russian proletariats against the Tsarist Empire, the British’s thirteen colonies against its own hegemonic empire etc. All these revolutions happened and some are still happening in the world because of the absolute failure of the ruling masters’ familiarity with time and space.
The great irony with the tribal region is the complete failure of the mini-actors within a State. They may be interested but maybe powerless in compelling the ruling puppets to get them engaged with any positive initiative in the region. In sans of any heedful change, the re-arrival of gladiators is sure but the thing that often get me think over the future scenario, would be the tribal partiality, in case of any setback in the future.
The insurgents often kept its unity while there is record fragmentation and dissident on the part of State’s institutions. The tribesmen are suffering with severe hunger, poverty, disease, illiteracy, malnutrition, corruption, terrorism, price-hike, natural calamities, governance crisis, institutional decadence, worse human rights and political and economic crisis.
From the last few decades, these horrific circumstances greatly affected everybody in the region. We cannot ensure democracy, good governance, social justice, sustainable development, poverty alleviation and overall development unless and until, we consider the assault and oppression of the people of all regions under an equal parameter of law and justice. The assault and oppression of the State’s institutions against the tribal people have turned into one kind of inhumanity. Particularly, after 9/11, hundreds of men, women and children have lost their lives resulted from the transnational menace of militancy.
Now, despite the elimination of militancy in the region, the tribal residents still demonstrate their protest silently. Due to absence of definite justice system, the victims cannot receive legal aid which is allowed for the people of the rest of the State’s territories. In order to overcome all the penetrating problems in the region, reshuffling of institutional and governance’s parameter with active State intervention is essential.
A great failure is noticed in term of achievement of equality between the people of the Tribal belt and the people belong to the rest of the State’s territories. The tribal region is a devil fort, in which tribesmen have no access to employments, education, political and social activities and entrepreneurs etc. it is a matter of regrets that we are living in 21st century but one particular segment of our society is totally deprived of their fundamental rights. The women in tribal areas as always become victims of mental and physical assault. The problems prone region FATA can cause a horrific threat to the State’s writ in future, because more than enough cannot be tolerated. More, importantly, the tribal man now only believes in why question.
Violence and insurgency in the region not only implies making tribal people suffers but also impeding the overall development of the state. Therefore, in order to stop discrimination against the region, legal framework, national executive machinery, preventive policies, institutional aid and overall assistance are needed to be installed for the best wishes of the tribal people. The race-dominated social structure fuels intensity to regional disintegration. Institutional and governance failure is a very multifaceted administrative problem, which can be vanished from the region by changing the State’s attitude toward tribes man.
We should not consider them as the second class citizens because; they are our own blood and bone. State is our collective mother and its love and like should not be based on discrimination.
Regional disintegration is a big threat to peace and stability, so, the government and general masses must pay immediate heed to counter the devil dance in the belt. The State has the responsibility to educate, organize, socialize, sensitize and enlighten its masses towards a principle of honesty and merit that will definitely guide towards the establishment of a new exemplary social order.
