Core Issue

Despite the US promises to train the Frontier Corps personnel and provide money, the situation on the ground is quite the opposite

by Rahimullah Yusufzai

Some retired generals including former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) head Lt Gen (Retd) Asad Durrani believe it was a mistake to deploy Pakistan Army troops in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to carry out the so-called "war on terror." They may be proved right in case a proper study was done to find out the cost-effectiveness of the army's involvement in the unending war in our tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.

Prior to the army's deployment, the Frontier Corps (FC) was operating in FATA for securing the Afghan border and assisting the political administration of the seven tribal agencies to maintain law and order. In fact, this paramilitary force is best suited to operate in FATA. The largely Pashtun force drawn from the same ethnic race that inhabits the tribal areas is better able to win the trust of the people and match their fighting skills.

The FC was raised and deployed there before the creation of Pakistan in 1947 by British colonial rulers of India. Presently 50,000-member strong and set to total 55,000 following fresh recruitment, the FC has largely managed security duties in the tribal areas and on the border with Afghanistan and earned praise for its discipline and bravery.

Over a period of time, a separate FC was raised for Balochistan to police that part of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan and be available for security duty in the violence-prone province. The FC subsequently spearheaded military operations against Baloch separatists and assisted the Pakistan Army in flushing out insurgents and protecting the country's largest gas deposits at Sui along with other natural resources in Balochistan.

The FC NWFP and FC Balochistan are commanded by officers drawn from the Pakistan Army. A serving major general serves as commander of the force and is referred to as the Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGFC). Tribesmen recruited from all Pashtun, Baloch and other tribes residing in the NWFP, FATA and Balochistan form the rank and file of the FC. The FC is also called Scouts. Another lesser-trained paramilitary force, having officers from the Police Service of Pakistan and other personnel from the Pashtun tribes, is also known as FC, though it stands for Frontier Constabulary.

The FC NWFP had to bear the brunt of the fighting against Pakistani and foreign tribal Islamic militants in FATA since 2003. Regular Pakistan Army troops were also deployed there to assist the FC as the fighting intensified and the militants upgraded their guerrilla tactics and skills and acquired better weapons. Around 1,200 soldiers, both from the Pakistan Army and FC, have been killed todate in the fighting in FATA and Swat district. Most of the casualties took place in South Waziristan and North Waziristan. The FC lost about 300 troops.

Another cause for concern was the demoralisation in FC ranks as a result of the casualties and disabling injuries to the troops. The FC personnel aren't highly trained or paid. According to FC officials, up to 2,000 paramilitary soldiers from their ranks have deserted jobs in recent years. The numbers could be even higher as such information isn't shared with the media or the public. The desertions increased when the FC suffered setbacks on the battlefield in the two Waziristans.

The abiding US interest in FATA, which are geographically part of NWFP but are administered by the federal government, became evident once again recently when a Pentagon spokesman said a plan was being drawn up to train and expand the FC to counter the growing strength of al-Qaeda and Taliban in the tribal areas. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said it had been in the making for months but was not yet underway. He said the plan had been discussed and issues such as its launching were debated in meetings.

Another Pentagon spokesman said the Tampa, Florida-based US Special Operations Command, was preparing separate plans for ways to increase counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan's armed forces and to boost their capabilities. He said these plans have not yet been sent up the military chain of the command for approval.

According to The New York Times, the plans were part of intensified efforts to enlist tribal leaders in the "war against terror." It said there were at present 50 US soldiers in Pakistan, but many more would be required for executing the plan.

Despite the statements coming out of the US with regard to plans to train the FC personnel, the situation on the ground in Peshawar, where the FC NWFP is headquartered in the old and imposing Balahisar Fort, is quite the opposite. Major General Mohammad Alam Khattak, Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGFC), NWFP recently told this writer that plans for training his men haven't been finalised. He said US $ 30 million had been earmarked for the FC out of the $ 750 million new US assistance promised for FATA but the money hasn't been provided yet. "For the last one and a half years we at FC have been giving briefings to US government and military officials but even the first brick hasn't been laid yet. I still don't when the money would arrive so that the programme for FC trainings could be started," he said.

Major General Khattak said the US assistance for FC would be used to set up new training centres in FATA and NWFP where the paramilitary soldiers would be specifically trained for fighting against terrorists. He said the new FC wings cannot be quickly raised to provide more manpower due to shortage of space at the existing training centres. "The FC is supposed to be the frontline force in the "war on terror" but it doesn't have helicopters, fixed-wing planes, night vision devices and modern weapons," he lamented.

The NWFP in general and Fata in particular became the focus of attention following the post-9/11 US invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan in October 2001. After years of neglect, the Pakistan government substantially increased allocation of funds for the under-developed tribal borderland and foreign donors too chipped in with money for special projects. The military operations that began there in 2003-2004 to hunt down militants suspected of having links to al-Qaeda and Taliban have continued with some interruptions when peace accords were signed with the militants and could go on for years. This battle assumed greater urgency in the wake of recent statements by President George W Bush and CIA director Michael Hayden in which they referred to FATA as the most likely place from where terrorist plans to target the US would originate.

Pentagon's plan to train and expand the FC is a long-term activity and it primarily focuses on militarily resolving the conflict in Fata. This policy hasn't worked until now and that is the reason there is now talk of supplementing the military effort with political and economic inputs to win the hearts and minds of the people. Still the FC would benefit from the US financial support and could in due course of time become a better trained and equipped force. In fact, FC has already received vehicles from the US and some funds from Washington have gone into setting up new border posts. But it desperately needs better weapons and equipment along with improved training facilities and working conditions to become a stronger military force.

Courtesy: The News Pakistan