A Trial By Fire For Democracy

Democracy has just been delivered to the strongly traditional tribesmen of Pakistans northern tribal territory, where male domination is absolute. But a big question remains over how they will respond.

In an area in which men are urged to buy rifles to show off their affluence rather than jewellery for their wives, the seeds of democracy are hard to sow.

But an attempt was made in last weeks general elections in Pakistan. The occasion gave an estimated 2 million people, in what is still known as illaqa ghair (alien territory), their first chance to elect their MPs directly.

This followed the Pakistan governments decision in November finally to give the right to vote to one of the last unrepresented regions in the entire sub-continent.

 

The tribal society is known for its complete male domination and a rigid lifestyle dating back several centuries. The Pathans, are fiercely protective of their faith, Islam, and though chauvinistic also of their women.

At the local bus stop in the tribal town of Bara, just 20 km outside the northern city of Peshawar, men casually, walk around with rifles hanging from their shoulders or handguns tucked away in holsters. Weapons such as these are an essential household item in most Pathan homes.

Gun shots are heard at any time of day but they mostly go unnoticed, dismissed as either a wedding procession or someone firing in the air out of boredom.

Children here are born in the shadow of guns, Fazal Karim Afridi, who has run his private medical practice in Bara for almost four decades, says: When men go out for a picnic (women are always excluded), they take their weapons and watch the children play with them.

What little democracy there has been was based around tribal chiefs, or maliks, who between them elected an MP for each of the tribal territories eight main districts, or agencies. Ordinary people were not allowed to vote.

Each constituency was made up of between 1,600 and 3,500 maliks who sent the MPs to represent them at the 217 seat lower house of parliament in Islamabad. In return, the maliks received either cash or favours.

This administration dates back to colonial times when the tribes reputation for ferocious independence, combined with the arid uneconomic lands, left the Raj with only loose control. The colonials settled happily for rule through political agents.

Yet even after the elections, no one knows if the region will accept change. The signs are not good.

Before the polls, there was a threat that any woman who voted would have her home burnt. Maulana Abdul Hadi, the man who issued the threat, is a religious mullah with considerable influence. He has since toned down his views and now says that most women were not interested in voting.

No one really knows how seriously to take Hadi. The local authorities assured full protection to voters but Hadis announcement may have discouraged many women. On the last day of registering to vote. Baras 1,00,000 or so electorate included fewer than 3,000 women.

This is not Hadis first brush with controversy. In 1995, a religious organisation known as the Tanzeem-i-itte-had ulema-wa-aqwam qabail or the Association of Unity Among the Clergy and Tribal People, headed by Hadi, began imposing tough Islamic sentences, such as floggings, on offenders. There was also one execution on a murder charge.

Hadi who served as an Islamic judge in neighbouring Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion of 1979, also set up a private jail. The former government of prime minister Benazir Bhutto then banned the association and members of the clergy were arrested.

In spite of this, the association is still revered by many. Afridi the doctor, for example, claims it kept the peace: Now since the ban, lawlessness has increased. There are more robberies and sometimes killings because criminals dont fear instant punishment.

But not everyone believes that simply maintaining the status quo is the right answer. Malik Munawwar Khan, a tribal leader and journalist in Dara Adam Khel, one of the five frontier regions and the biggest base for gun manufacturing, says: Democracy will eventually help the people of this area.

In the past, our representatives in parliament never told us where they spent money given by the government for local development. Now they will have to answer questions if they want votes.

Khan claims that the recent political activity in Dara Adam Khel is proof enough that popular opinion counts. Even the tiny local press corps is becoming more important.

Others, such as Sher Hussain, an arms merchant at Dara Adam Khel, are more excited. I feel that Pakistan is being fully liberated now even though it has taken us 50 years after becoming formally independent. he says.

Hussains optimism may be quite premature. The rugged northern tribal territories are notorious as a source of heroin. The drug trade in Pakistan continues to flourish on the back of powerful vested interests, both among the tribal chiefs as well as corrupt government officials.

Those involved are expected to resist efforts to bring democracy to the territories, fearing that a tough anti-narcotics clampdown would come next. And several analysts predict that the maliks will remain strong, either by getting themselves elected, or keeping a strong hold over the newly elected MPs.