The road to Peace and the obstacles that exist

It has been quite a lot of time since the efforts to reconcile with the terrorists have proven futile-sometimes because of factors whose control lay in state’s hands while at other times these factors were “out of the domain” of our feeble government. While the majority held the view that the idea of peace talks with militants would open a path towards peace, the news say otherwise. September was the deadliest month of the year with death toll reaching almost 1,050.

If we delve into the causes behind the problem, we realize that the inhabitants of the tribal areas have lost their faith in the institutions of the state. This has occurred because of several reasons. One of the major reasons is the constant neglect of this area by the state. The inhabitants of FATA have not only suffered misrepresentation at political level (only 12 representatives in the assembly) but also the federal government has overlooked the potential of Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Since its inception, Pakistani government has failed to stimulate enough economic development in those barren and desolate areas. The natives of these areas do not have access to basic facilities like proper food supply, roads, health care and education. Unemployment is rampant in the area and literacy rate is an ignoble figure. This created a political vacuum in the area which was later filled in by the militants through their manifesto of achieving their ambitions.

Most importantly, the local people have been squeezed between militants and the authorities in the ongoing war against terror. Because the geographical location of area was such that it was directly affected by cold war and-later-war against terror, the residents of FATA have lost faith in the state; they have faced dire consequences in the form of loss of human lives, deterioration of already deficient infrastructure, loss of economic activity, absence of a peaceful environment, barbarism and violence.

Therefore, it is imperative for us to realize that immediate action must be taken to grasp the control of the ongoing circumstances. Government needs to step in and contribute to the political and judicial needs of the society by handling the affairs itself and by addressing to the dilemmas faced by the local citizens. It needs to ensure that law and order prevails and situation does not go beyond control.  Employment opportunities must be provided and actions must be taken so that the living standards of the local population are raised-more than half of which lives below poverty line and survival is a formidable task for it, hence paving way to extremism. Roads must be built so that trade is enhanced further. Other facilities like telecommunication and internet are basic needs of a society in contemporary world and hence their provision is imperative. These actions should help reduce the political vacuum that exists in tribal areas.

 Most importantly, awareness needs be created amongst the citizens about the dire consequences the country in general and tribal areas in particular have suffered recently. Provision of education is the only possible methodology that can put the phenomenon of change into concrete reality. The ideology that challenges the writ of the government must be countered and in the long run, the only way forward is creating awareness amongst the masses about the situation and the reality so that the common people are directed towards the right path. It is imminent that this action needs to be taken immediately.

Although these measures seem difficult to take, it’s never too late to take the first step towards betterment. Besides dialogue, a more extensive counterterrorism mechanism is required today more than ever before.