Abstract
In an attempt to assess the causes of militancy in KP & FATA, an empirical study was conducted in form of interviews of highest state officials and civil society leaders. The group highlighted that the political causes were linked to the inefficacy and outdating of the Jirga system of decision making; the absence of local governance in the tribal areas; the inefficacy of the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR); People’s lack of trust in the prevalent system and lack of accountability of the elected national (MNAs) and provincial (MPAs) parliamentarians. Economically, the common elements that came out in most group interviews were lack of adequate infrastructure for economic activity; underutilization and mal distribution of resources; population explosion and lack of attention to agricultural development. Social factors deemed responsible for militancy were atomization and the breakup of the traditional order; Intolerance attributable to religion (wahabi factor, sectarianism); intolerance leading to social marginalization of the Pushtuns. Security reasons for militancy were state neglect of these areas; a contention between groups that held security forces in the area as the problem and others maintained that use of military to clear up the extremists is the solution. Finally, almost without exception, all groups pointed out to the ‘foreign factor’ as the biggest cause of this crisis. The role of several pivotal countries such as USA, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey was also discussed. USA, India and Saudi Arabia were seen as the spoilers of peace, while China, Turkey and Iran were seen as the promoters of peace.