Counterterrorism policies of Pakistan; How the war generation survives and resists the armed conflict in the Tribal districts?

Terrorism studies have often focused on terrorism as the only problem and state responses as the solution but sometimes state counterterrorism measures can contribute to the problem. Critical Terrorism Studies (CTS) have shown that violent counterterrorism measures are often ineffective, and counterproductive and exacerbate the suffering of Indigenous Local Communities (ILCs). In particular, from a postcolonial perspective, we can see how these measures can end up reproducing imperial power relations. For example, the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA: now Tribal Districts) in Pakistan, has been kept as a buffer zone for centuries, and communities there are still marginalised. Yet, local communities are not just passive victims of non-state terrorism or state counterterrorism violence. We know that they also have rich arsenals of resistance in everyday ways, for example, the Pashtun Tahafuz [Protection] Movement.
This project asks, how do indigenous local communities seek to survive, resist, and protect themselves in counterterrorism operations/armed conflicts in the Tribal district of Pakistan? There are quite a few reasons for choosing the conflict of Pakistan Tribal Districts as a case study. a) The armed conflict in the region has a long-standing history starting from the Cold War. b) The geographical area of the armed conflict has a colonial legacy and was kept for over a century under Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), also known as the 'Black Law', which deprived ILCs of basic human rights. c) The region is home to an indigenous ethnic group, Pashtuns, having a unique culture and code of conduct called Pashtunwali. d) The region shares a 26,40 km long controversial border, the Durand line, which divides Pashtuns into Pakistan and Afghanistan. These compelling reasons make this region and the conflict a significant case study.
Existing research in orthodox is often focused on the causes, effects, and evolution of terrorism, but ignores the lives of indigenous communities living in conflict zones and it is overly policy-oriented. CTS took a unique perspective and challenged traditional terrorism studies and prioritised human security based on emancipation, however, it is Western-centric, and there is limited literature produced by Global South scholars and those suffering from terrorism. Similarly, Pakistan has been studied by a number of postcolonial scholars who highlighted civil-military relations and the dominancy of the military institution in state affairs but ignored terrorism.
To investigate the research question, the project will be approached with theoretical pearl fishing originated from Arendtian philosophy but recently used by Ken Booth, in which he takes an informal approach rather than selecting one school of thought. The project will utilise concepts from Critical theory, Critical Terrorism Studies, and postcolonialism studies to draw conclusions. The study will also take advantage of the Sondre Lindahl CTS counterterrorism model which, among others, describes key assumptions of terrorism highlights priorities for countering terrorism, and most importantly develops a mechanism for the evaluation of CT policies. This project will take help from this model and focus on the deep politics behind terrorism in Pakistan to develop a model that not only contributes to academic research but also has policy implications.
For this project, I will conduct critical ethnographic fieldwork and interviews in the FATA region in Pakistan in order to understand the deep politics of everyday life under terrorism and counterterrorism. Critical ethnography emphasises being the voice of the unprivileged and amplifying their voices. It is, therefore, very important for CTS scholarship to take critical ethnography seriously into consideration and start to act like an activist and work for their basic commitment i.e., human security and emancipation.