Imperial Legacy And Pakistan’s Policy Towards The Pak-Afghan Borderland

Abstract

This paper seeks to analyze political utilization of the Pak-Afghan borderland of Pakistan. Before British arrival in the area, the inhabiting tribes had no formal controlling authority and were being regulated through centuries old code of conduct called Pashtoonwali. The British devised a draconian law of Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) aimed at protecting the British Indian Empire from the North rather than serving its inhabitants. Pakistan after its creation in 1947 as a modern nation state continued the colonial inherited model of governance either lacking capacity or out of political compulsions. The area was purposely isolated from the benefits of the mainstream political system and became a battleground against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s. This research poses a question what imperatives compelled the independent state of Pakistan to continue British model of governance and the colonial policies towards its borderland? This paper argues that had Pakistan not continued with the British policies and exploited the area and its people for security and strategic interests, it would not be known to the world as a hub of Islamic militancy and extremism. This empirical study applies quality method of research. It uses primary sources and face-to-face interviews to substantiate argument.