Mainstreaming FATA through 25th Amendment in the Constitution of Pakistan, Implications for Counter Terrorism Efforts

Abstract

Because of terrorism stemming from the unstable Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan has increased its geopolitical prominence in international politics since 2001. The Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) 1901, which was inherited from the British, regulated this semi-autonomous region of the country. It remained a grey region after the partition, with the government having little control. During the War on Terror, Pakistan incurred massive losses. Consequently, Pakistan's political parties and military establishment have decided to bring reforms to the legal, socio-economic, political, and security systems there. Following that, the proposal to merge FATA into the mainstream was debated by various stakeholders for several years. In May 2018, Pakistan's parliament approved the merger of the FATA and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa under the 25th Constitutional Amendment (KP). This paper aims to highlight the efforts by the US and Pakistan towards counter terrorism. It is also studying the impacts of this merger on counter terrorism efforts. Further, the impact on Pakistan's internal security was also examined in this study.