Local People’s Perceptions and Expectations from Political, Legal and Administrative Transition in the Erstwhile FATA after Merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province

This paper studies the perceptions and expectations of local people in the tribal districts after the 2018 merger of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province, a transition which has promised to bring many political, legal and administrative changes. The erstwhile FATA was merged in 2018 and this research started in 2019. Therefore, it is pertinent to mention that research was conducted in the post-merger era in the milieu of various challenges, including pandemic-related lockdowns that caused restrictions imposed on access and mobility in these Newly Merged Districts. However, since 2019, through qualitative methods, data was gathered and analysed from 28 representative key informants’ interviews and 14 focus group discussions. The qualitative data provided nuanced and comprehensive insights into the expectations and priority issues of the population and their concerns regarding the new administrative system after the merger. Findings suggest that due to unawareness, illiteracy, and weak coverage of electronic and print media, the new administrative system was not very popular, and people were unaware about the pros and cons of the merger. Moreover, perceptions of corruption and nepotism have increased especially in the revenue and taxation departments. It is suggested, that to change the rather negative perceptions about the merger of these tribal districts, several steps are required. One is that for protection and enforcement of legal rights, infrastructure and staff are needed for the police and judiciary. The police service was generally perceived positively; however, areas of weakness include proper training, equipment, and infrastructure. There is an urgent need for revenue, and for land records to settle tribal disputes. Strict checks and balances on the appointment of officers to these areas and an efficient governance system are needed to make the new administrative system successful.