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PESHAWAR – The terrorism-battered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government adopted a peace-building strategy October 5 to give the province a roadmap for the post-crisis situation, a provincial minister said.
The Post-Crisis Needs Assessment (PCNA) report was prepared by the UN, EU, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the Pakistani government. It identifies the causes of the militancy and ways to achieve peace in KP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
“Adoption of the PCNA is a milestone in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s resolve against the militancy and also in setting up a roadmap for future peace,” government spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain told Central Asia Online after Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti chaired a provincial cabinet meeting at which the PCNA was the subject of lengthy discussion.
The report follows military success in driving the Mullah Fazlullah-led Taliban out of Swat and other districts in northern Malakand.
“Findings are pulled together into one strategy based on a range of recommendations, (and) success will depend on endorsement, adoption and implementation of the strategy as a whole,” the PCNA report concludes.
PCNA designed to build lasting peace
Shakil Qadir, heading the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), briefed the provincial cabinet on the PCNA recommendations.
“I think adoption of this report will provide a solid base for building lasting peace once the province and FATA are pulled out of the present crisis,” Iftikhar said.
Its authors wrote: “It is not a list of options, nor a fund-raising document, but a working strategy that should be continuously revisited as the situation evolves.”
The report emphasised cutting off funding to militants. As long as that flow of money “continues,” the militancy will keep growing, security and development analyst Khalid Aziz said.
The Pakistan PCNA is meant to help develop a shared understanding on crisis-inducing factors, build consensus on the corresponding strategies for sustainable crisis recovery and contribute toward peace-building efforts.
The PCNA reports sets out four strategic objectives, including: enhancing the responsiveness and effectiveness of the state to restore citizen trust; to stimulate employment and livelihood opportunities; to ensure provision of basic services; and to foster reconciliation and counter extremism.
Nine sectors were identified as strategic priorities for government must address: good governance, rule of law, agriculture and natural resources, non-farm economic development, education, infrastructure, health, social protection and strategic communication.
In its key findings on the spread of militancy, the PCNA report said a low level of trust in the state by its citizens, “poor accountability” of the government, a lack of “transparency (and) a rule of law vacuum,” an “illicit economy, no formal justice,” and corruption in the jirga system drove the crisis in KP and FATA.
”Political exclusion” of FATA residents and governance through a century-old system – Frontier Crimes Regulation – were key in tribal areas where hundreds of thousands of troops are battling hardened militants loyal to al-Qaeda, the report added.
PCNA recommend FATA, PATA reforms
The PCNA made a strong recommendation for reforms in the political and constitutional status of FATA and PATA to mainstream the two regions where militancy, observers say, took root after “mistreatment” by successive governments.
“Full citizen and human rights for tribal people and their strong integration into the state of Pakistan should be ensured,” the Pakistan PCNA report recommends.
The PCNA’s recommendations include upgrading the capabilities of existing security and law-enforcement agencies, strengthening the competence of the judicial sector, and reviewing the substance and application of Sharia, or Islamic laws, in Swat and other districts of the Malakand region.
“A weak economy, huge unemployment, particularly among young men, outweighing available state-offered opportunities … illicit livelihood, including drug, arms trafficking and other criminal activities” were recognised as key drivers of the crisis in KP and FATA.
The report emphasised cutting off funding to militants. As long as that flow of money “continues,” the militancy will keep growing, security and development analyst Khalid Aziz said.
To foster reconciliation and counter extremism, the study suggested promotion of a “diverse, open and tolerant society.” In recent years, intolerance in society has grown palpably, which the study attributed to reasons such as absence of a rule of law and lack of trust in the state.
The state should offer “robust support” to counter exclusion, sectarianism, and other inter- and intra-community strife and “promote inclusive approaches with the help of civil society,” the report suggested.
To counter madrassa promotion of extremism, the report recommends establishment of an “alternative … to extremist religious and ideological messages.” The October 2 slaying of religious scholar Dr. Mohammad Farooq Khan in Mardan showed that militants will not spare anyone who speaks against suicide bombings.
Another religious scholar, Maulana Hasan Jan, was killed in 2007 after denouncing suicide bombings. With numerous incarcerated militants following security operations to re-integrate into society, the PCNA report advocates rehabilitation through exposure to Islamic teachings and alternative cultural paradigms “within Pashtun value systems.”
The study calls for adherence to guiding principles and reliance on steering committees, federal and provincial-level co-ordination (units) and implementation line departments to realise its findings.
It also pointed to challenges and risks, warning that failure to reach consensus or to secure funding or a change in the geo-strategic environment will foster dissatisfaction.
The Post-Crisis Needs Assessment (PCNA) report was prepared by the UN, EU, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the Pakistani government. It identifies the causes of the militancy and ways to achieve peace in KP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
“Adoption of the PCNA is a milestone in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s resolve against the militancy and also in setting up a roadmap for future peace,” government spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain told Central Asia Online after Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti chaired a provincial cabinet meeting at which the PCNA was the subject of lengthy discussion.
The report follows military success in driving the Mullah Fazlullah-led Taliban out of Swat and other districts in northern Malakand.
“Findings are pulled together into one strategy based on a range of recommendations, (and) success will depend on endorsement, adoption and implementation of the strategy as a whole,” the PCNA report concludes.
PCNA designed to build lasting peace
Shakil Qadir, heading the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), briefed the provincial cabinet on the PCNA recommendations.
“I think adoption of this report will provide a solid base for building lasting peace once the province and FATA are pulled out of the present crisis,” Iftikhar said.
Its authors wrote: “It is not a list of options, nor a fund-raising document, but a working strategy that should be continuously revisited as the situation evolves.”
The report emphasised cutting off funding to militants. As long as that flow of money “continues,” the militancy will keep growing, security and development analyst Khalid Aziz said.
The Pakistan PCNA is meant to help develop a shared understanding on crisis-inducing factors, build consensus on the corresponding strategies for sustainable crisis recovery and contribute toward peace-building efforts.
The PCNA reports sets out four strategic objectives, including: enhancing the responsiveness and effectiveness of the state to restore citizen trust; to stimulate employment and livelihood opportunities; to ensure provision of basic services; and to foster reconciliation and counter extremism.
Nine sectors were identified as strategic priorities for government must address: good governance, rule of law, agriculture and natural resources, non-farm economic development, education, infrastructure, health, social protection and strategic communication.
In its key findings on the spread of militancy, the PCNA report said a low level of trust in the state by its citizens, “poor accountability” of the government, a lack of “transparency (and) a rule of law vacuum,” an “illicit economy, no formal justice,” and corruption in the jirga system drove the crisis in KP and FATA.
”Political exclusion” of FATA residents and governance through a century-old system – Frontier Crimes Regulation – were key in tribal areas where hundreds of thousands of troops are battling hardened militants loyal to al-Qaeda, the report added.
PCNA recommend FATA, PATA reforms
The PCNA made a strong recommendation for reforms in the political and constitutional status of FATA and PATA to mainstream the two regions where militancy, observers say, took root after “mistreatment” by successive governments.
“Full citizen and human rights for tribal people and their strong integration into the state of Pakistan should be ensured,” the Pakistan PCNA report recommends.
The PCNA’s recommendations include upgrading the capabilities of existing security and law-enforcement agencies, strengthening the competence of the judicial sector, and reviewing the substance and application of Sharia, or Islamic laws, in Swat and other districts of the Malakand region.
“A weak economy, huge unemployment, particularly among young men, outweighing available state-offered opportunities … illicit livelihood, including drug, arms trafficking and other criminal activities” were recognised as key drivers of the crisis in KP and FATA.
The report emphasised cutting off funding to militants. As long as that flow of money “continues,” the militancy will keep growing, security and development analyst Khalid Aziz said.
To foster reconciliation and counter extremism, the study suggested promotion of a “diverse, open and tolerant society.” In recent years, intolerance in society has grown palpably, which the study attributed to reasons such as absence of a rule of law and lack of trust in the state.
The state should offer “robust support” to counter exclusion, sectarianism, and other inter- and intra-community strife and “promote inclusive approaches with the help of civil society,” the report suggested.
To counter madrassa promotion of extremism, the report recommends establishment of an “alternative … to extremist religious and ideological messages.” The October 2 slaying of religious scholar Dr. Mohammad Farooq Khan in Mardan showed that militants will not spare anyone who speaks against suicide bombings.
Another religious scholar, Maulana Hasan Jan, was killed in 2007 after denouncing suicide bombings. With numerous incarcerated militants following security operations to re-integrate into society, the PCNA report advocates rehabilitation through exposure to Islamic teachings and alternative cultural paradigms “within Pashtun value systems.”
The study calls for adherence to guiding principles and reliance on steering committees, federal and provincial-level co-ordination (units) and implementation line departments to realise its findings.
It also pointed to challenges and risks, warning that failure to reach consensus or to secure funding or a change in the geo-strategic environment will foster dissatisfaction.
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