A historical overview of reforms in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Pakistan

Abstract

The erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), recently merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is relatively ignored. There were seven political agencies and six frontier regions with an administration and judiciary system that varied from the rest of the world. The colonial powers formulated the Frontier Crimes Law, popularly referred to as the FCR, the legal-administrative structure for these areas. This regulation has been the cornerstone of the FATA administration. The root of this regulatory system dates back to pre-partition India in the British colonial era. These areas remained separated after the formation of Pakistan and did not fall under the orbit of the national and provincial parliaments. The Head of the State constitutionally governed these areas through the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who served as an agent of the former. With the merger in May 2018, it is essential to reshape the entire scenario to get these areas into the country's mainstream politics.