Parachinar 

In search of justice for the terror victims!

ALI HUSSIAN

Youth of Parachinar and ISO activists protesting in Islamabad. Photo: facebook

The recent action by law enforcement agencies on peaceful protesters, killing three and injuring 10 others, in Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency, a Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along Pak-Afghan border, is vindication of the fact that people in the tribal areas are still considered as the second class citizens of the country.

The protesters were demonstrating against the local administration’s decision to block entry of some Ulema/clerics [from both Sunni and Shia sects of Islam] from Peshawar into Kurram Agency who were invited to address a religious gathering on the eve of birthday celebrations of Imam Hussain (A.S) on May 10, 2019 in the agency headquarter.

According to the local administration, the clerics were not given permission to enter Kurram Agency with a view not to disturb the law and order situation of the region which is notorious for sectarian clashes.

Whereas the organizers of the event, Tahreek-e-Hussaini, a local organization, which blamed the local administration for promoting hatred by blocking the clerics of both the sects without giving any prior notice, are of the opinion that the event was organized purely with a view to promote religious and sectarian harmony.

Without going into to be judgmental on the two different opinions of both — the local administration and the organizers — no government of any democratic country can deny the right to protest by their own people in democratic countries and opening straight fire on the protesters and killing them in clod blood cannot be justified in any civilized and democratic society. 

Ironically, the local administration, instead of taking action against the involved cops, who opened fire on the protesters, are making fake cases against the locals, not only to hide their criminal act but also to provide a blanked to a senior most officer of the paramilitary force, who is believed to have ordered the law enforcement agencies to open fire on the protesters.

As far the system established in the whole Fata under the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), a hundred year old draconian law, which gives the authority to the local administrator, a Political Agent (PA), to turn black into white and vice versa. The fact that his decision like a royal decree cannot be challenged in any court of law, gives the PA the powers available with a ruler under the totalitarian regime.

In such a situation a common man under the FCR cannot establish his innocence before the court of PA who is also a judge and a prosecutor while the accused has no right to hire a lawyer to defend himself against the charges leveled against him but to accept whatsoever the decision is given about his future.

As the federally government oversees the affairs of the tribal areas through its agent, called provincial governor [Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa], unfortunately does not bother to keep a check on the affairs of the tribal areas for two obvious reasons.

Firstly, the slot which is always politically motivated and in the current case, the appointee of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is mainly aimed at countering its strong opponent, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is ruling over the province, hence, leave him with no opportunity to focus on Fata’s affairs.

Secondly, the politically appointee is also not supposed to take on the powerful military establishment which is a key stakeholder due to the geo-strategic location of the tribal areas.

As far as Parachinar is concerned, seeking justice is like crying in the wilderness, especially when the administrators have an otherwise opinion on the loyalty of the locals. 

The miseries of the locals and the indifference of the State, is what can be judged from the fact that the militants especially outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) besieged the Upper Kurram Agency for almost four years [2007-11] after deadly clashes that left around 2,000 people killed of the Turi and Bangash tribes, was not only disregarded but the locals were labeled as disloyal.

When the region was completely cut off from rest of Pakistan, the locals had only one option to travel a long way via Afghanistan to reach Peshawar through Torkham border. Pak-Afghan border was the only source to fulfill the acute shortages of edibles and medicines but through an administrative order, the border was not only closed for traveling but for other commercial activities which led to further miseries of the locals.

It is hard to prove your loyalty when you’re living on Pak-Afghan border, having different school of through. It is also not enough even to provide weapons to the security forces and volunteer your men to safeguard the border along with security forces whenever there is tension with Afghanistan on the border. Tension on Pak-Afghan border

You will be a ‘disloyal’ and will remain the same and attaching much expectations of the justice is just living in fool's paradise.