Former security officials, intellectuals and researchers have expressed the view that the restoration of peace and establishment of democracy in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) need a long-term sustainable socio-economic development involving both the tribesmen and official machinery.
A two-day workshop on 'The Role of Peace and Democracy in the Fata' began at the Area Study Centre for Russia, China and Central Asia, University of Peshawar on last Tuesday.
The German Hans Seidel Foundation, Islamabad and ASC have jointly organised the workshop in which security officials, former officers from tribal areas political administration, intellectuals and researchers are participating.
The opinion of security officials and to some extent the views of teachers and researchers reflected unanimity on the point that peace and democracy should be established in Fata while the tribal customs and modern ideas in law and democracy should go hand in hand. However, a diametrically opposite view, which was advanced at the workshop was that the tribal culture and modern legal and democratic ideas have no point of integration; hence a new start is needed for democracy and peace in Fata.
Former NWFP chief secretary Khalid Aziz, while opposing customary code of regulating affairs in Fata stressed that concrete socio-economic and political reforms to integrate tribal areas into the main stream in the country. Contrary to this view, known specialist on Fata security, Brigadier Mehmood Shah (Retd) suggested that a mixed system of governance having both tribal customs and traditions and modern democratic and legal norms should be introduced in Fata.
Colonel Yahya Effendi (Retd), an authority on tribal areas and Afghanistan, threw light from military point of view on the security situation in tribal belt. He compared the US operations in Afghanistan and Pak Army operations in North and South Waziristan agencies with the British military operations in this region from 1850 to 1920.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, the director of Area Study Centre, Dr Azmat Hayat Khan highlighted the importance of Fata in the local, regional and international environment. Dr Richard Asbeck, representative of Hans Seidel Foundation in Islamabad, also spoke on the occasion and threw light on the importance of workshop in the prevailing circumstances. The first session of the workshop was followed by about an hour-long question- answer session.
Professor Dr Sarfraz Khan, Professor Dr Ijaz Khan, Professor Dr Qibla Ayaz, Lieutenant Colonel Abuzar, Colonel Yaqub Mehsud (Retd), former ambassador Ayaz Wazir, senior journalist Iqbal Khattak and students from journalism and international relations departments also expressed their views on the occasion. The final session of the workshop will be held on Thursday (today) at 9.30 am at the ASC.