A. Majeed—AFP
Residents of Pakistan’s tribal areas blame the outgoing government for doing nothing to improve their lives.
Pakistan’s tribal belt may have been dubbed the world’s most dangerous place by the United States, but enthusiastic tribesmen are defying the Taliban to vote for change at next week’s polls.
More than 60 people have been killed in militant attacks targeting politicians and political parties since April 11, but amazingly no one in the seven districts that make up the semiautonomous region on the Afghan border.
One of the most remote and undeveloped parts of the country, the federally-administered tribal areas provide rear bases for the Afghan Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban, and other Al Qaeda-linked groups. But after years of Army offensives designed to clear out Pakistani Taliban hideouts, some of the 1.7 million registered voters in FATA say they feel safe enough to vote, adding that even women, normally kept in purdah, will vote.
For the first time, political parties can campaign directly in FATA—a reform introduced by the outgoing government in 2011 in an effort to give tribesmen more of a stake in the country and to curb the militancy.
“People want change. They want a change in the system not just a change of faces,” said Miraj Ali, a doctor who runs a clinic in the village of Michni in the district of Mohmand. Tribesmen in the districts of Mohmand, Khyber, Bajaur, and North Waziristan accuse the outgoing government of doing nothing to improve their lives and blame it for fighting that has displaced hundreds of thousands. This time they are looking to the religious parties, cricket star Imran Khan, and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. “The two party leaders with the most support are Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif,” said Ali.
All main parties are visibly campaigning, but of the 339 candidates competing for 12 National Assembly seats from FATA, only 81 represent parties—the rest are officially independents, even if some privately favor one party over another. Party flags fly from rooftops, shops and markets. There are banners and posters everywhere. Despite Taliban threats that democracy is “un-Islamic,” candidates hold street meetings, public rallies, and open campaign offices.
Life here is perhaps harder than in the rest of Pakistan. Power cuts can last as long as 21 hours, compared to eight hours in the capital. Unemployment is rife. Militants often bomb schools. Literacy is poor. People complain about the arcane system of justice imposed under British-era laws, and the police’s summary powers of arrest on weak terror charges.
In 2007-2008, most parts of Mohmand were under Taliban control. In November 2008, the military went on the offensive, flushing out militants but displacing thousands of families. It is now largely peaceful but few people venture out after dark, vividly remembering public beheadings and the Taliban era of fear.
“We will elect honest representatives in this election who will solve such of our problems,” said schoolteacher Mohammad Shah, 43.
In neighboring Khyber district, where the military is fighting the Taliban and other homegrown militants, the campaign is also in full swing, party flags flying high from shops and rooftops. Many tribesmen are wearing party badges and insignia on their chests with every second vehicle festooned with posters, stickers or flags.
In the town of Jamrud, hundreds of people cram into the election offices of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), the religious party Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Pakistan Peoples Party. Many candidates serve meals—rice with meat cooked in huge cauldrons—twice a day to supporters and offer cups of steaming green tea.
“Our former representatives sold us in Islamabad. They were like wolves. Now we want change, a revolution which eliminate all these corrupt people,” said Raqeeb Ullah, 27, who works at a medical store. He believes Imran Khan, who publicly opposes military operations and backs peace talks with the Taliban, is the man of the moment. “He has promised that he will end terrorism and provide education to all. Imran is a Khan and a Pakhtun, he has proved his worth,” he added.
In Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, the most notorious of the tribal districts, gunmen abducted one candidate on Wednesday. But even here, 34 candidates are fighting for one seat. “It is so good that we can vote on a party basis. It is creating political awareness among tribesmen,” said shopkeeper Sher Khan.