TRANSITIONS IN THE BORDERLANDS Cross-border mobility, communities and market systems along Pakistan’s frontier with Afghanistan March 2021 Transitions in the Borderlands Cross-border mobility, communities and market systems along Pakistan’s frontier with Afghanistan A study by Verso Consulting March 2021 The research is part of the X-Border Local Research Network, which is supported through UK aid from the UK government. All views are those of the Verso Consulting research team and are not necessarily shared by The Asia Foundation or the UK government. This report unpacks the complexity of Pakistan’s border dynamics with Afghanistan by focusing research activity on three key border control points (BCPs) in the northern half of the border (situated in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). In addition to summarizing the historical and current policy context of the region, the report offers a deep dive into the political economy that shapes cross-border mobility (for travelers, traders, transporters, and resident communities of the area) narrated through the experiences of target research groups. These narratives are supplemented by detailed observation reports of the border control points for a granular picture of a complex region. Authors: Azeema Cheema, Shirin Gul, and Waqas Sajjad Field Research: Fazal Saeed and Mehran Wazir (and team) 1 Table of Contents ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................................... 3 GLOSSARY ...................................................................................................................................... 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 10 RESEARCH BRIEF ............................................................................................................................... 10 SETTING THE STAGE: THE BORDER REGION AND PAKISTAN ........................................................... 111 RESEARCH SITES ........................................................................................................................... 11 RESEARCH FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................................. 16 TARGET RESEARCH GROUPS ......................................................................................................... 18 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 19 CONTEXT OF CURRENT POLICIES AT THE BORDER ......................................................................... 21 BORDER REGULATION: VISAS ........................................................................................................... 21 THE BORDER FENCE .......................................................................................................................... 22 24/7 OPENING OF TORKHAM ........................................................................................................... 24 THE IMPACT OF PROGRESSIVE DISRUPTION ON BORDER COMMUNITIES (2014 TO 2021) ............. 26 OPERATION ZARB-E-AZB (2014-2016) .............................................................................................. 26 CHANGES IN BORDER REGULATION / VISA REQUIREMENTS (2017 – PRESENT) .................................. 26 BORDER MANAGEMENT / NLC TERMINALS: “THE GATE” (2015 – PRESENT) ...................................... 31 GOVERNANCE REFORM (2018 – PRESENT) ......................................................................................... 35 THE BORDER FENCE (2017 – PRESENT) ............................................................................................... 35 BORDER DISRUPTION AND LOCAL ECONOMIES ............................................................................ 39 COMPLEXITY & COSTS: MICRONARRATIVES ON CROSS-BORDER TRADE .......................................... 43 LOGISTICS & LONG JOURNEYS: MICRONARRATIVES FROM TRANSPORTERS .................................... 45 BORDER BAZAARS IN DECLINE: MICRONARRATIVES FROM BUSINESS OWNERS .............................. 47 CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................................................................. 50 WHAT TO CONSIDER ......................................................................................................................... 53 ANNEX A: BORDER CROSSING PROFILES ....................................................................................... 56 TORKHAM ......................................................................................................................................... 56 GHULAM KHAN ................................................................................................................................. 57 ANGOOR ADDA ................................................................................................................................. 58 ANNEX B: FGD PROFILES ............................................................................................................... 60 ANNEX C: A CLOSER LOOK - OBSERVATIONS OF THE BORDER ....................................................... 61 TORKHAM BORDER CROSSING (KHYBER DISTRICT) .............................................................................. 61 ANGOOR ADDA BORDER CROSSING (SOUTH WAZIRISTAN DISTRICT) ..................................................... 67 GHULAM KHAN BORDER CROSSING (NORTH WAZIRISTAN DISTRICT) ..................................................... 75 2 Acronyms ANP – Awami National Party (political party) BCP – Border Control Point (often referred to by local respondents as zero point) CAREC – Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program CNIC – Computerized National Identity Card (official identification document required for all citizens of Pakistan) CPEC – China Pakistan Economic Corridor DC – District Commissioner (highest ranking bureaucrat in a district) FATA – Federally Administered Tribal Areas FC – Frontier Constabulary FCR – Frontier Crimes Regulation FIA – Federal Investigation Agency ISPR – Inter Services Public Relations (official public relations wing of the Armed Forces of Pakistan) JUI-F – Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (Fazl-ur-Rehman) (political party) MNA – Member National Assembly (parliamentarian) NADRA – National Database Regulatory Authority NLC – National Logistics Cell (logistics company run by the Pakistan government, responsible for land acquisition, infrastructure and management of the BCPs) NMDs – Newly Merged Districts (new nomenclature for the erstwhile FATA region) PA – Political Agent (formerly the highest ranking appointed bureaucrat under British colonial rule, continuing in FATA until the merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2018) POR – Proof of Registration Card (document issued by the Government of Pakistan to people with recognized refugee status. Also sometimes referred to in local vernacular as the muhajir card) PTA – Preferential Trade Agreement PTI – Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (Pakistan’s ruling political party, currently in power and also holding the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) PTM – Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (emergent political party and movement) SRO – Statutory Regulatory Order Glossary Adda – Station and gathering place for vehicles, where passengers and/or goods are loaded and unloaded Bazaar – Marketplace (refers to large commercial centers as well as smaller market places) 3 Belti – Customs document containing details of driver and vehicle transporting goods across the border Chowk – Intersection or crossroads; meeting point of several roads Dharna – Protest through gathering in numbers, usually a nonviolent sit-in Farmi – Document with details of cargo vehicle, driver, and number obtained from companies, to be deposited with customs officials Ganda – Cross-border carriage of goods by wheelbarrow or by hand Gumrak – Document for the customs duty/tax in Afghanistan Jaar – Paid process of extensive checking of a vehicle for security reasons (which can involve digging a hole in the middle of a loaded truck to check the items inside, and can harm cargo) Jarga – Informal institution and system of arbitration, common in the erstwhile FATA region, where male elders gather to decide all kinds of affairs; acts like a local level court that makes decisions that are widely respected and followed Kantta – Paid process through which goods and cargo are weighed at BCPs Khasadar – Security force at the border region, comprised of local men who are aware of the culture and norms; often referred to as levies; as part of justice sector reform in the region, Khasadars are being converted into a formally trained local police force Khel – A khel refers to a specific clan/community within a larger tribe-based identity; for instance, the Khoge Khel is a smaller clan within the larger Shinwari community. As this report attempts to explore and capture micronarratives within tribal identities, each khel is treated as a discrete community Lakh – Number: One hundred thousand Malik/Masher – Tribal elder, leader Munshi – Assistant offering a range of services (in accounts, writing, etc.) in government departments Moharir – Clerk, usually in a government department Mullah – Religious man; usually