Militancy in the Pakistani Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)

134 Pages·2010·4.38 MB·English

by  Magnus Norell

Militancy in the Pakistani
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA) and Afghanistan
M MAGNUS NORELL (ED.)
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FOI, Swedish Defence Research Agency, is a mainly assignment-funded agency under the Ministry of Defence. The core activities are
research, method and technology development, as well as studies conducted in the interests of Swedish defence and the safety and
security of society. The organisation employs approximately 1000 personnel of whom about 800 are scientists. This makes FOI Sweden’s
largest research institute. FOI gives its customers access to leading-edge expertise in a large number of fi elds such as security policy
studies, defence and security related analyses, the assessment of various types of threat, systems for control and management of crises,
protection against and management of hazardous substances, IT security and the potential offered by new sensors.
FOI
Swedish Defence Research Agency Phone: [phone] www.foi.se FOI-R--2727--SE User Report Defence Analysis
Defence Analysis Fax: [phone] ISSN 1650-1942 February 2010
SE-164 90 Stockholm
Magnus Norell (Ed.)
Militancy in the Pakistani
Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) and
Afghanistan

Cover picture: Scanpix
FOI-R--2727--SE

Title Militancy in the Pakistani Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and
Afghanistan
Rapportnr/Report no FOI-R--2727--SE
Rapporttyp/ Report Type Användarrapport/User Report

Månad/Month Februari/February
Utgivningsår/Year 2010
Antal sidor/Pages 133
ISSN ISSN 1650-1942
Projektnr/Project no A12004
Godkänd av/Approved by Maria Lignell Jakobsson

FOI, Totalförsvarets Forskningsinstitut FOI, Swedish Defence Research Agency
Avdelningen för Försvarsanalys Division of Defence Analysis

164 90 Stockholm SE-164 90 Stockholm
FOI-R--2727--SE
Sammanfattning
Det primära syftet med denna rapport är att identifiera några av de militanta
organisationer, samt ledande personer inom dessa, som är aktiva i de s.k. ”Tribal
Areas” (Federally Administered Tribal Areas – FATA) i Pakistan samt dessas
kopplingar till Afghanistan.
Rapporten pekar på och diskuterar det stöd som dessa militanta organisationer –
på båda sidor om gränsen mellan Pakistan och Afghanistan – får från olika håll i
Pakistan. Vidare visar rapporten på hur sammankopplade säkerhetsproblemen i
Pakistan och Afghanistan är. Rapporten argumenterar för att säkerhetssituationen
i båda dessa länder, för att lösas, måste diskuteras och hanteras samtidigt.
Rapporten visar också på de olika strategier som den pakistanska regeringen har
använt sig av för att försöka separera problemen i FATA från de i Afghanistan,
hittills med ringa framgång.

Nyckelord: Pakistan, Afghanistan, FATA, terrorism, Tribal areas, gränser,
Durand-linjen, militarism, militanter, lågnivåkonflikter, TTP, Nato, uppror,
gränsöverskridande, Jihad

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Summary
In conclusion, the primary objective of this report has been the identification of
militant organisations operating within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA), and some more detailed profiling and identification of their supporters
in the rest of Pakistan.
This report also shows the scope of the support that the militants – on both sides
of the Durand Line – receive from Pakistan. In addition, the report shows how
interconnected the security situation in Pakistan is with the low-intensity war in
Afghanistan. It is obvious that in order to come to terms with the situation in the
FATA (and increasingly in Baluchistan and the rest of the North West Frontier
Province), Afghanistan and Pakistan need to be discussed simultaneously.
In addition, the report map describes the support for the militants look like as
well as whom some of the key players in Afghanistan are, both individuals and
groups.
In the report we have also outlined the various initiatives taken by the new
Pakistani government to open up a “new approach” (as the term goes) in
negotiations between, on one hand the Islamabad government, and on the other,
the tribes and militants in the North West. The emphasis on negotiations and a
possible “down-shifting” when it comes to the use of the military, have still to
render any clear breakthroughs between the government and the militants and the
tribes. But the will to change is there.

Keywords: Pakistan, Afghanistan, FATA, Terrorism, Tribal areas, Tribes,
Border, Durand Line, Militancy, Militants, Low-intensity war, TTP, NATO,
Insurgency, Cross-border, Jihad.

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Programme manager’s remarks

The Asia Security Studies programme at the Swedish Defence Research Agency’s
Department of Defence Analysis conducts research and policy relevant analysis
on defence and security related issues. Its primary focus is on East and South
Asia as well as the Persian Gulf region. The programme strikes a balance
between studying issues directly affecting Swedish foreign and defence policy as
well as research on topics with wider regional and global implications. The Asia
Security Studies programme is mainly financed by the Swedish Ministry of
Defence but research is also conducted for other ministries and agencies in
Sweden and abroad.
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on the Pakistani border to
Afghanistan have been in the international limelight since the U.S. ousting of the
Taliban regime in Afghanistan 2001. As a safe haven for al-Qaeda fugitives and
staging area for Taliban forces, it has been a contentious issue both in and
outside of Pakistan. Not only have developments in FATA come to influence
domestic Pakistani policy. It is also inseparable from the ongoing conflict in
Afghanistan. But despite international attention little has been written about the
local power structures and how militancy in FATA is driven and sustained.
Outside of Pakistan, the political, constitutional and legal issues and disputes,
key to making FATA what it is today, are not widely known.
The Swedish Defence Research Agency and the Pakistan-based Centre for
Research and Security Studies (CRSS) have undertaken to make a detailed study
of FATA. We extend a special thanks to the CRSS fellows for making this study
possible. We also extend our thanks to Mr. Syed Adnan Ali Shah Bukhari at the
Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore for his detailed
comments on the report.

John Rydqvist
Programme manager
Asia Security Studies Programme

Programme webpage: www.foi.se/asia
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Contents
Programme manager’s remarks..................................................................5
Abbreviations.................................................................................................9
1 Purpose of study and notes on method.........................................11
1.1 Purpose of study........................................................................................11
1.2 Notes on method and outline of the report.................................................11
2 Background.......................................................................................13
3 What is FATA?...................................................................................23
3.1 Historical Overview...................................................................................25
3.2 FATA: Legal Status, Geography and Governance....................................27
3.2.1 Militias and Rifles......................................................................32
3.2.2 Social System............................................................................33
3.3 FATA – Profile of the Agencies................................................................36
4 Tribal lands: Cauldron of militarism...............................................43
4.1 Local Implications of the Militancy on a Regional Level..........................56
5 The role of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) – Scapegoat
or Culprit............................................................................................73
6 Al-Qaeda’s Uzbek and Arab components.......................................79
6.1 The “Al-Qaedaisation” of Pakistan............................................................82
7 Conclusion.........................................................................................91
Appendix 1...................................................................................................97
Profiles of Militants...................................................................................................97
Profiles of Afghan Militants....................................................................................118
Appendix 2. CRSS Survey of FATA.........................................................127
SURVEY.................................................................................................................127
Tables .................................................................................................................127
8 Terminology.....................................................................................131
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Maps
Map 1: Pakistan...........................................................................................................8
Map 2: Agencies of FATA and the eastern Pak-Afghan border ...............................35

Tables
Table 1.: Is it fair to blow up CD shops?.................................................................127
Table 2.: Should girls be educated?.........................................................................127
Table 3.: Does Sharia ensure justice?......................................................................128
Table 4.: Does Sharia ensure economic prosperity? 128
Table 5.: Do Taliban and Fazlullah represent true Islam?.......................................129
Table 6.: Wouldn’t Taliban be encouraged if Army goes back?..............................129

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Source: STRATFOR, Copyright 2009

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Abbreviations

AI Ansarul Islam
AIA Amaraate Islami Afghanistan
ANP Awami National Party
APA Assistant Political Agents
DCO District Coordination Officers
FANA Federally Administered Northern Areas
FATA Federally Administered Tribal Areas
FC Frontier Corps
FR Frontier Region
GWOT Global War on Terror
HI Hezbe Islami
HM Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
IMU Islamic Movement of Afghanistan
ISAF International Security Assistance Forces
ISI Inter-Services Intelligence agency
JI Jamaat-e-Islami
JM Jaish-e-Mohammad (Army of Mohammad)
JUI Jamiat Ulemae Islam, Jamiat Ulmai Islam
LeT Lashkar-e Taiba (Army/Militia of the Pure)
LI Lashkare Islami
LJ Lashkare Jhangvi (Army of Jang)
MMA Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
MNA Members of the National Assembly
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NWFP North West Frontier Province
PA Political Agent
PML-N Pakistan Muslim League (N)
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