The Tribes of Pakistan: Finding Common Ground in Uncommon Places By Paul G. Paterson, BSc. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS In CONFLICT ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard ________________________________ Hrach Gregorian, PhD Faculty Supervisor ________________________________ Fred Oster, PhD Program Head, MACAM Program ________________________________ Alex Morrison, MSC, MA Director, School of Peace and Conflict Management ROYAL ROADS UNIVERSITY June 23, 2011 © Paul G. 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The Tribes of Pakistan: Finding Common Ground, Paterson ii ABSTRACT The tribes of Pakistan have endured for thousands of years despite the best efforts of a succession of unwelcome guests. I attempt to illustrate that whatever holds people together through social, political and theological upheaval, continues to hold the tribes of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas together. There is value located in understanding the glue that holds communities together and developing this falls to examining theories on social cohesion and sources of governance legitimacy. These surface questions related to the form and content of ungoverned spaces and suggest engagement strategies with the tribes that incorporate a perspective on legitimacy that includes hybridized expressions of governance. Key to this is the assumption that a stable and predictable border with Afghanistan is an interest of the Pakistani government. Based on the literature and field interviews, I suggest that this is not certain. If it is, then a re-imagined governance relationship between the tribes and Islamabad may produce significant political and social dividends. The Tribes of Pakistan: Finding Common Ground, Paterson iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have renewed appreciation for the phrase, “Standing on the shoulders of giants.” During the writing of my paper there was no shortage of feelings rooted in the isolating aspect of a work of this sort, but even then I recognized the fiction in this feeling. This paper is comprised of the thoughts and ambitions of literally hundreds of people who stand tall by virtue of their work, their intellectual engagement with the world and the quality and character of their lives. To the people I met and shared ideas with in Pakistan, my thanks for your hospitality and my deep respect for your commitment to realizing your Nation’s grandest visions for itself. Among so many other things, you all showed me how the hard work of Nation-building happens in classrooms and coffee shops, on street corners and in all the places where people come together to turn big ideas into the thousand small acts that comprise courageous change. I want especially to thank our good friend Hussain Ali Sina who exemplifies the twin Pakhtunwali virtues of tura and aql; thank you Hussain for being a good friend and gracious host. To Hrach Gregorian; what to say? Your brand of tough love characterizes some of my best friendships: honest, courageous in the pursuit and support of truth, tolerant without being indulgent and pointed without being barbed. Thank you for all I’ve learned through our collaboration on this paper and the coursework which preceded it. Rumi offers the following guidance to my last acknowledgement: “Load the ship and set out. No one knows for certain whether the vessel will sink or reach the harbour. Cautious people say: I'll do nothing until I can be sure". It is with the kind of abundant gratitude that embarrasses The Tribes of Pakistan: Finding Common Ground, Paterson iv people when said out loud that I say to my best friend and wife, Kimberly: Thank you for risking the ocean with me. The Tribes of Pakistan: Finding Common Ground, Paterson v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ..............................................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................................................8 General Methodology ...........................................................................................................8 Key Informant Interviews ....................................................................................................9 Ethical Considerations and Implications .............................................................................12 Assumptions and Limitations ..............................................................................................12 Personal Observations .........................................................................................................14 CHAPTER 3 – THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN ..................................................16 In the Beginning ...................................................................................................................16 Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA)..................................................22 The Tribes of FATA and Governance Under Britain ..........................................................24 FATA: The People, the Politics and the Land .....................................................................28 Contextualizing Pakistan .....................................................................................................29 CHAPTER 4 – PAKISTAN, FATA AND THE PAKHTUN .....................................................31 Pakhtunwali: Social Code as Social Glue ............................................................................33 The Tribes of FATA and Traditional Governance Norms and Forms .................................36 Traditional Governance and the Impact of Externalities .....................................................40 The Maliks ...........................................................................................................................45 The Ascendancy of the Mullahs ..........................................................................................47 CHAPTER 5 – SOCIAL COHESION .........................................................................................50 Governing Ungoverned Space and Tribal Cohesion ...........................................................56 Social Cohesion and Legitimacy .........................................................................................64 The Abiding Presence of Islam ............................................................................................65 The Erosion of Tribal Cohesion and Contributing Elements...............................................66 Social Cohesion and Stability ..............................................................................................68 CHAPTER 6 – GOVERNANCE AT THE EDGES....................................................................71 Pakistan’s View on a Post-Coalition Afghanistan ...............................................................74 The Struggle Within and Conflict Imported ........................................................................75 Possibilities for Change .......................................................................................................76