Post-Merger Governance and Development in Former FATA: Challenges and Opportunities

In 2018, Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) integration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was an amalgamation that resulted in Pakistan's new governance. This transition was aimed at assimilating the tribal regions to the national frame and granting equal rights and development opportunities to its residents. However, challenges and opportunities at the post-merger stage have been uncovered, and they all are to be investigated to maximize. Other strategic issues also include eating away at the traditional governance structure, the utilization of the Jirga system, and difficulties with the new judicial framework. Also, there appears there be a lack of development, inadequate law enforcement agencies, and integration into the culture. Nonetheless, the merger offers a chance for infrastructural and political projects and for access to education and healthcare. This paper explores such facts but also discusses some of the complexities involved in post-merger governance and development within the erstwhile FATA region.