ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how a weak counterinsurgency by the Pakistani state led to the rapid development of the FATA insurgency. The insurgency not only engulfed the entire FATA region but also threatened many other parts of the country such as Swat district which wase under the regular control of the Pakistani state. This chapter delineates how a lack of political will on the part of the Pakistani government resulted in an ineffective counterinsurgency strategy that miserably failed to counter the insurgent threat. Instead of developing counterinsurgency skills and equipping the forces with necessary counterinsurgency equipment, the Pakistani government relied mainly on conventional uses of force which proved inefficient. Inadequate and inept police forces were not capable of preventing the insurgents from getting hold of people and the territory. This chapter also analyses how the Pakistani government negotiations with the insurgents, without destroying them physically, encouraged the latter to remain firm in their resolve and expanded their reach and control.
