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Flag of Pakistansvg
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PakistanTribalpng
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Peshawar
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3400
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7132
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2003
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3,138,000
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1153
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27,220
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Pashto <br> Persian
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Tribal Areas
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7 Agencies
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1st July 1970
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Khalid-ur-Rehman
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None
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None
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NA
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wwwnwfpgovpk
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Gov't of NWFP
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The ('''FATA''') are areas of
Pakistan outside the four provinces, comprising a region of some 27,220
Km² (10,507
Mi² ).
The FATA are bordered by:
Afghanistan to the west with the border marked by the
Durand Line , the
North-West Frontier Province and the
Punjab to the east, and
Balochistan to the south.
The total population of the FATA was estimated in
2003 to be about 3,138,000 people, or roughly 2% of Pakistan's population. Only 2.7% of the population of the Tribal Areas resides in established towns.
The Tribal Areas comprise seven Agencies:
Khyber ,
Kurram ,
Bajaur ,
Mohmand ,
Orakzai , and North and South
Waziristan . The main towns include
Miran Shah ,
Razmak ,
Bajaur , and
Wana .
The region is only nominally controlled by the central government of
Pakistan . The mainly
Pashtun tribes that inhabit the areas are fiercely independent, but until friction following the fall of the
Taliban in neighboring
Afghanistan the tribes had mostly had friendly relations with Pakistan's central government.
After negotiating with tribal , regular Pakistani
Army Troops entered the tribal areas for the first time in Pakistani history -
As Of 2004 , there are about 70,000 troops there. With foreign financial assistance, Pakistan has been involved in improving local infrastructure including the building of roads in the tribal areas. It is believed by some that
Osama Bin Laden is hiding with some sympathetic tribes in the FATA, but the validity of these claims remains unknown. Due to the capture of various
Taliban leaders, many believe that various officials have sought refuge in the FATA and that possibly
Al-Qaeda fighters have also established a presence in the region following the collapse of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistani troops and U.S. forces have carried out "coordinated operations" in the border region
BBC article on US operations } that has further antagonized some local tribes. In 2004, Army attacks on local militant groups resulted in civilian casualties, fuelling an insurgency by some Waziri tribal groups
BBC article on the tribal insurgency . However, some local tribal leaders in the Waziristan area have rejected attempts to politically exploit the casualties
Daily Times article .
Due to the FATA's tribal organization, the economy is chiefly pastoral, with some agriculture practiced in the region's few fertile valleys. Historically, the region has been a major center for
Opium production and trafficking. Although attempts have been made to significantly suppress drug-related activity by the Pakistani government, opium smuggling from Afghanistan continues to be a problem.
