Fata’s New Voice

I believe that Islam is the most secular religion

By Raza Khan

Syed Akhunzada Chitan was elected as a member of the National Assembly from the troubled Bajaur Agency in the recent general elections. He is politically affiliated with the Pakistan People"s Party (PPP). Starting as an energetic student leader, he also remained president of the NWFP People"s Federation. He did his Bachelors in Fine Arts from University of Peshawar. Akhunzada Chitan has always waged struggle for the rights of his fellow tribal people and has also spent time behind the bars in this connection. After a long political struggle, he has finally managed to make it to the National Assembly. As Chitan is the only PPP-affiliated MNA from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), he is all set to become a minister in the near future. The News on Sunday interviewed him recently, with a special focus on issues related to the tribal areas. Excerpts follow:

The News on Sunday: The PPP is a secular, progressive party, while Bajaur Agency is perceived as a very conservative tribal area. How did you manage to win the elections, particularly in the current circumstances?

Syed Akhunzada Chitan: Different people define secularism differently. For me, a secular person is adherent of the ideology of not imposing one"s religion on others by force. I also believe that Islam is the most secular religion. None of the prophets tried to force his religion or teachings on his community. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not impose Islam even on the conquered. Most of the residents of Bajaur Agency belong to the Tableeghi Jamaat and are secular by my definition. If the security situation in the region is bad, it is not because of the tribesmen -- the miscreants in Bajaur Agency as well as elsewhere in Fata are foreigners who were thrust upon us.

TNS: Is this true that Fata has become the theatre of the New Great Game?

SAC: If the New Great Game means involvement of other countries, then it is true that Fata has become its theatre -- intelligence agencies of at least four countries (the United States, India, Israel and Afghanistan) are deeply involved in the region. At the same time, vices like poverty, illiteracy and underdevelopment are rampant in the tribal area. We have to bear in mind that some people can do anything for monetary gains. The Taliban"s Bajaur Agency chief claims every now and then that his group is not involved in the killing of innocent people, but they are still being killed mercilessly in the tribal areas. Therefore, one can assume that agents of foreign intelligence agencies are creating the chaos in Fata. However, the ongoing violence is also an outcome of the wrong policies of our decision-makers. Had they not ignited fire in Afghanistan, no one would have dared to fan flames on our soil!

TNS: But isn"t it true that the Taliban was created during the second term of the late Benazir Bhutto as the country"s prime minister and it was the brainchild of the then interior minister Major General (r) Naseerullah Babar?

SAC: The Taliban cropped up at a time when warlords had made Afghanistan captive, and no one"s life, honour and property were safe there. When the group formed the government in Afghanistan, there was at least some respite for the people. It is another thing that this was not liked by the United States, especially in the wake of the 9/11 incidents. The PPP was no more in power by that time.

TNS: Do you agree that Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by Baitullah Mehsud"s associates? Could anyone from Fata do something of that magnitude?

SAC: Not at all. Those who assassinated Benazir Bhutto are the same people who had killed Liaquat Ali Khan, Ziaul Haq and others in the past. I don"t think that Benazir was killed by the Taliban and Baitullah Mehsud has also pleaded not guilty time and again. In fact, Baitullah and his associates have been made scapegoats by the powers-that-be. The PPP has also taken the position that Baitullah is not responsible for Benazir"s assassination.

TNS: Whether the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) should be abrogated altogether or only some of its specific provisions should to be struck down?

SAC: To transform the governance system in Fata, the Fata Reforms Committee (FRC) was constituted by former NWFP Governor Lieutenant General (r) Iftikhar Hussain Shah with retired judge Mian Ajmal Shah as its head. Representatives of political parties, journalists and religious groups; former bureaucrats who had served in Fata; and, above all, tribal elders were part of the FRC. If any changes are made in the light of recommendations of that committee, they would be acceptable to all of us. On the other hand, an overnight change will neither be accepted nor will it be effective. We think that instead of devising new policies, the current government should implement recommendations of the FRC, as a lot of time and efforts have already went into them. That committee completed its task independently, without taking dictation from the NWFP governor, political agents or any of the local politicians.

TNS: There has been a longstanding demand of the ANP and certain other political parties to merge Fata into the NWFP. What are your views on this?

SAC: Every political party has a different vision for Fata. If all of them stick to their respective stances, a solution to the problem would not be possible. Even if the tribal elders insist on their agenda, it would not work. The best solution is the one suggested by certain tribal quarters: a body must be formed for Fata on the lines of the Northern Areas" Legislative Council. The tribesmen must be given the right to legislate for themselves and form their own courts. It should be up to this council to decide whether to merge Fata in the NWFP or continue to remain under the federal government.

TNS: Are you in the favour of making Fata a separate province?

SAC: No. I am in the favour of setting up a FATA Legislative Council on the pattern of Northern Areas" Legislative Council. As said earlier, it should be left to this elected council to decide the fate of the tribal areas -- whether to merge them into the NWFP, form a new province or maintain the existing system.

TNS: Do you support the idea of establishing at least two modern cities in the tribal areas to change its socio-economic dynamics?

SAC: It is indeed a great idea, but unfortunately even today the tribal people are deprived of the basic necessities of life, like roads, education and health facilities, safe drinking water, etc. The people of the tribal areas are not even considered as human beings. My first need as a tribesman is that I should be considered as a human being and a citizen of Pakistan. It is painful to see that when a suicide attacker strikes in Lahore, the government forms three committees to probe the incident. On the other hand, when a bomb explodes in Fata, different kinds of security forces target the area and decimate it. The tribal people should first be considered as human beings. Next, they should be provided with human rights and other basic amenities of life. The remaining things come after these. A community cannot prosper in the absence of three things: basic democracy, social justice and education. Even if a community has everything except for the above three, it cannot progress. We, therefore, need democracy, social justice and education on a war footing.

TNS: Your party, the PPP, has government in the Centre and is a coalition partner in the NWFP government. Do you think that it will stop talking dictation from the US?

SAC: Absolutely yes. I am saying this not only on behalf of the PPP but also of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Whenever a truly representative government comes into power, it does not take dictation from without. We do not want to pick quarrels with other countries, but at the same time dictation is totally unacceptable to us.

TNS: Due to Fata"s geo-strategic importance, do you think that an international effort is needed to avert the crisis there?

SAC: No. This crisis does not need any international effort. The tribal areas are a part of Pakistan and we can sort out the problems among ourselves -- they cannot be settled by the outsiders. We know about our problems and their solutions much better than the others.

TNS: Does this mean that you want withdrawal of the military from Fata?

SAC: Yes, we would like the military"s withdrawal from Fata. Before the military invaded this region, there used to be exemplary peace and security here.

TNS: Many people advocate using the institution of jirga for solution to the problems in Fata. But don"t you think that jirga is no more a traditional tribal institution and has become quite corrupt now?

SAC: I agree that the institution of jirga has become quite corrupt over a period of time. Even those people have managed to become jirga members who were private servants of the Commissioner"s Office or the Governor"s House. These people, having relatives in Fata, requested their benefactors to make them Maliks. If one looks at the tribal elders, they only include those people who were nominated by their respective tribes. These people never take dictation from political agents and only they can form an independent jirga. Only such jirgas can make judicious decisions and impose penalties, not only on tribesmen but also on government officials, if found guilty of wrongdoing and excesses.

TNS: The government claims increasing substantially the development budget for Fata. Likewise, many foreign countries have pledged or have already given funds for the region. Have they been or would they be spent judiciously?

SAC: These finds are not for the tribal people, but for political agents. These funds would be spent in the Fata Secretariat and would end up in the personal coffers of political agents. Mostly, such funds are spent on purchasing expensive luxury vehicles for government officers.

TNS: What should be done to judiciously distribute the available funds?

SAC: Representatives of the tribal people should be given the power to use these funds according to the needs.

Courtesy: The News Pakistan