The Londoner

FATA is a very strategically located area of Pakistan but has been a virtual war zone for last 30 years. First against the Russians & Then against the American, locals have sought to fight for their freedom. Later on, in last ten, years, areas has been taken over by terror groups like al Qaeda & Taliban. Pakistan military is currently conducting a huge military operation in FATA to eliminate Afghan & Indian funded terrorists.  The   Federally Administered Tribal Areas   ( FATA )  is a semi- autonomous   tribal region in northwestern   Pakistan , bordering Pakistan's provinces of   Khyber Pakhtunkhwa   and   Balochistan   to the east and south, and   Afghanistan 's provinces of   Kunar ,   Nangarhar ,   Paktia ,   Khost   and   Paktika   to the west and north. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas comprise seven   tribal agencies   (districts) and six   frontie...

By Sikander Hayat What is the most pressing problem of Pakistan at the moment, terrorism you might say but I believe that there is an even bigger issue which is the underlying cause for terrorism as well. It is that of economy. It is rarely the case that chattering classes in Pakistan and the people who roam the corridors of power give economy a priority in their decision making. They are more concerned with trivialities of daily politics and the petty issues that have hampered Pakistan’s progress as a nation in last 60 years. As a people, Pakistanis like good gossip and that need is amply fulfilled by the politics. To them economy is boring and although it is the biggest problem Pakistan is facing right now, it is somewhere near the bottom on the list of priorities. After elections brought a civilian government back to power, Pakistan is reeling. It's not just the attacks by militants. The economy, which had been growing steadily, has been hit hard by spiking fuel and food costs. ...

By Sikander Hayat The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan is an area outside the four provinces bordering Afghanistan, comprising a region of some 27,220 km² (10,507 sq mi). The FATA are bordered by: Afghanistan to the west, the North-West Frontier Province and the Punjab to the east, and Balochistan to the south. The total population of the FATA was estimated in 2000 to be about 3,341,070 people, or roughly 2% of Pakistan's population. Only 3.1% of the population resides in established townships. It is the most rural administrative unit in Pakistan. FATA comprise seven Agencies, namely Khyber, Kurram, Bajaur, Mohmand, Orakzai, North and South areas of Waziristan. The main towns include Miranshah, Razmak, Bajaur, Darra Bazzar, Ghalanai as Head Quarters of Mohmand Agency and Wana . There are 20 legislators from FATA in the National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan. (12 MNAs & 8 Senators.) The region is only nominally controlled by the central government of Paki...