ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a detailed account of how an enduring conflict spanning almost of two decades has affected the FATA region. This included a discussion on the incorporation of the tribal territory into mainland Pakistan, which has extended a formal state control of the region, and the challenges the Pakistani government is facing. The most pressing challenge after the integration of the FATA is to uplift the socioeconomic status of the region which has seen serious deterioration over decades of underdevelopment and conflict. This chapter further looks at how the resultant deprivations of the chronic underdevelopment has given rise to a social movement known as PTM which has vociferously demanded constitutional rights for the FATA people. This chapter also discusses the resurgence of the TTP which has emerged as a serious challenge for the Pakistani government, especially after the Afghan Taliban victory in Afghanistan.
