MILITANCY AND PUKHTUNWALI: AN ANALYSIS OF MILITANT TRENDS IN PUKHTUN SOCIETY
Abstract
The Pakistan-Afghan border region and its inhabited population became the focal point of international concern in the backdrop of the tragic event of September 11 in 2001. It is stated that the local Pukhtuns provided shelter and assistance to the suspects of the attacks, under the obligation of their social code called Pukhtunwali. This assertive media projection and bold academic assertions gave birth to certain apprehensions and negative perceptions about the Pukhtuns and their way of life. The main reason for this lies in opinion makers overwhelming reliance on the colonial literature to learn about the region. As a matter of fact, such sources were written in a particular background, possessing one-sided information based on one’s personal experience with the region. An in-depth analysis of the scenario makes it clear that the emergence of militancy in the Pukhtun region is a multi-layered and complex phenomenon, which needs to be studied before making any generalization about the Pukhtun’s involvement in the entire process of militancy. The paper aims to discuss certain factors, which contributed to the militarization of the region. The study mainly focuses on the situation in the former-Tribal Areas, Frontier Region and the adjoining settled zone of Pakistan, however, the question of the emergence of militancy in the region could not be detached from what was going on, on the other side of the border in Afghanistan. Therefore, the discourse at certain junctures slightly discusses the relevant situation in Afghanistan. Furthermore, the exploitation of Pukhtun culture by the out siders is part of the discussion. The paper has a brief analysis of the colonial knowledge on the region as well