The Merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: An Historical Analysis

Abstract

Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) which has recently been merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is comparatively neglected region of Pakistan. It had seven political agencies and six frontier regions with a system of administration and judicature, significantly different from rest of the country. The legal-administrative framework for these areas had been formulated through the Frontier Crimes Regulation which was popularly known as FCR. This Regulation had been the mainstay of the government in FATA. The origin of this regulatory system dates back to the British colonial period of pre-partition India. After the creation of Pakistan, these areas remained isolated from the rest of the state territories and did not come under the orbit of the national and provincial parliaments. Constitutionally, the President of the state through the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who acted as an agent of the former, administered these areas. Now under the latest merger in May 2018, the entire scenario is required to be reshaped to bring these areas under the mainstream politics of the country. But prior to any regulatory or political move concerning the locality, a comprehensive analysis of the historical background seems to be pertinent. This study is an effort in that direction