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PESHAWAR — Pakistan's troubled west makes international headlines with every attack by or on its local Taliban militants.
But the region made history on Tuesday, September 23, when US Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Congress it posed the "greatest threat" to America's national security.
Pakistan’s west comprises the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), seven semi-autonomous tribal areas.
The region borders war-stricken Afghanistan from over ten different sides and the two sides are divided by an unmarked 2200 kilometer Durand Line.
NWFP
FATA
Economy
Militancy
NWFP
The NWFP is the third largest province of Pakistan after Punjab and Sindh with a population of around 25 million out of the total 170-million populace.
Around 75 percent population of the province is Pushtu-speaking people commonly known as Pushtuns.
Peshawar, one of the oldest cities in South Asia, is the province's capital and is heavily dominated by Pushtuns.
The second largest section of the population, nearly 18 percent, is Hindko-speaking people who are known as Hazarawal.
Other ethnic communities include Punjabi, Baloch, Urdu and Siraiki speaking.
FATA
FATA comprises seven semi-autonomous regions, known as agencies, which are Khyber, Kurram, Bajaur, Mohmand, Orakzai, North Waziristan and South Waziristan.
The main towns include Miramshah, capital of North Waziristan, Razmak, capital of Kurram, Bajaur, capital of Bajur agency, Darra, capital of Khyber, and Wana, capital of South Waziristan.
FATA has a total population of around 6 million, or roughly 3 percent of Pakistan's population.
Pushtuns constitute ninety nine percent of FATA'S population.
The fiercely independent Mehsud, Wazir, Bhitiani, Burki, Afridi, Mohmind and Yousafzai are the prominent Pushtun tribes that inhabit the areas.
The region is controlled by the central government under a law called Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), which was introduced by the British in the 19th century.
The head of each tribal Agency is called a Political Agent and wields extensive powers.
Under the FCR law, the Political Agent acts like a king as tribesmen cannot challenge his decision in any court of law.
Under an ironic Joint Responsibility clause of the FCR, if there is a bomb blast in an area, the nearest located house will be razed and the owner of that house cannot go to any court against that.
Political parties are not allowed to work in the tribal areas and can contest the elections as independents.
About 30 percent area of the region is virtually inaccessible politically and administratively.
Economy
The local economy mainly depends on agriculture, opium production, and smuggling through Afghan transit.
Medicines business is also flourishing in the region.
Wana, the capital of South Waziristan, is the hub of medicines supply to all the seven tribal agencies and even northeastern Afghanistan.
Though thousands of tribesmen are settled in the US, Europe and Middle East, working mainly as laborers, drivers, and small businessmen, there is virtually no banking system in the region.
A few branches of local banks only operate in the capitals of agencies.
The literacy rate is 17.42 percent, which is far below the 43.92 percent average nationwide.
Only 29.5 percent of men and 3 percent of women receive education in the tribal belt.
Literacy rate is highest in Wana, where some of the various high and secondary schools and colleges apply the Cambridge system.
Militancy
The region, especially South and North Waziristan, has a five-year history of military operations targeting pro-Taliban militants commonly known as local Taliban.
The first military operation was launched in March 2003, when army troops fought bloody battles against Faqeer Mohammed-led Taliban in South Waziristan.
The months-long operation inflicted huge casualties to both sides, especially the army.
Mohammed, a member of the Wazir tribe, was killed in an alleged US missile attack in July 2004.
Baitullah Mehsud, a member of the powerful Mehsud tribe, took over as head of local Taliban after Mohammed's death.
Last year, Mehsud was elected as Ameer of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of all pro-Taliban militant groups operating from South Waziristan to Bajur, and from Kyber to North Waziristan.
A recent military operation in South Waziristan forced 200,000 tribesmen to migrate, whereas the ongoing military operation in Bajur agency has displaced around 500,000 people, who have been living in refugee camps set up in different parts of the NWFP.
Currently, there are some 80,000 Pakistani troops detailed along the border to contain the Taliban activities, and stop cross-border infiltration.
Around 10,000 more troops have been sent to the region after Islamabad’s Marriott hotel on Saturday, September 20.
The government and the local Taliban have so signed several peace agreements from 2005 to April 2008, which could not hold mainly due to US pressure.
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