by Yasser Kureshi
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Pakistani society finds itself in a moment of deep self-reflection
today, as it confronts the horrors of the attack on the children at the Army
Public School in Peshawar. State and society are both trying to grapple with the reality that the people
responsible for this attack emerged from within Pakistani society. The
infrastructure for recruiting, training and mobilizing the militants behind
this attack lies within Pakistan’s borders. The public gaze has thus fallen
upon Pakistan’s tribal belt on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan where
Jihadi militant organizations, such as the Taliban, have deeply entrenched
themselves, driving out many of the traditional tribal leaders, and
establishing autonomous principalities. Understanding how Pakistan’s tribal
belt has become such a hotbed of sustained militant activity has now become a
subject of national and international concern.
