Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is a region in northwestern Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan. The region has a separate form of government from Pakistan’s provinces. FATA has a population of about 3 million people. They are mostly Muslims from the Pashtun ethnic group.
The special government of FATA has its roots in the 1800’s, when the United Kingdom established control over what is now Pakistan. The British had difficulty governing the region’s Pashtun tribes and therefore made special legal and administrative arrangements for them. The arrangements gave jirgas (tribal councils) an important role in government. This system continued in FATA after Pakistan gained independence in 1947. As a result, FATA has had a large degree of autonomy (independence) from Pakistan’s central government. The Pakistani government is represented in FATA by political agents.
In 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, U.S.-led forces overthrew Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, which had supported the al-Qa`ida terrorist network responsible for the attacks. Pakistan became an important U.S. ally. Over time, many members of al-Qa`ida moved to FATA, and the area became increasingly unstable. Radical Muslim militants have challenged Pakistani tribal leaders and killed or kidnapped Pakistani soldiers. Militants have also mounted attacks from FATA on targets in southern Afghanistan.
