Debating Room

Reporters and human rights campaigners in Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas have called for security as the region’s protracted conflict takes a heavy toll on their professional and personal lives.

Thirteen journalists have reportedly been killed in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along Pakistan's western border with Afghanistan since 2005.

In addition, many journalists have fled the regions after they were threatened by government officials and militant commanders who disapproved of their reporting.

The subject was recently discussed in a recent edition of Radio Mashaal's call-in show, "Along the Borderland."

Safdar Dawar, a former president of the Tribal Union of Journalists, said that journalism has become an extremely dangerous profession in the tribal areas.
"Officials and militant commanders warn us of serious consequences if we don't report according to their wishes," he said.

He urged Islamabad to investigate the killing of journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice, pointing out that, "Even the bereaved families of the journalists killed have not received any support."

He demanded security for those journalists who are working inside FATA and those who have been forced to leave, saying, "We are really struggling for our survival."

Dawar called for better wages and job security for the journalists. He called on the government and the militants to treat them as impartial observes.

He said that the situation has deprived an estimated seven million FATA residents from receiving even the most basic information.

"Recently [hundreds] of families were displaced from Mir Ali [a town in North Waziristan tribal district targeted by airstrikes]. They had no idea about where to seek shelter, food and basic healthcare," he said. "People don’t know about the issues shaping their lives."

Dawar said that FATA remains one of the most underdeveloped corners of Pakistan. "There is no electricity, telephones and internet in most of the tribal areas, and people in the region are literally disconnected from the rest of the world."

The attacks on journalists have deepened what is already an information void. Under the Frontier Crimes Regulations, a set of century-old colonial laws that remain active in FATA, residents are not allowed to publish magazines and newspapers, and private radio and television stations are also illegal.

Sher Muhammad Khan, a senior representative of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, said the outdated laws deprived FATA residents of their fundamental rights, and that "It is high time to bring this region into the mainstream."

"Along the Borderland" is a weekly, hour-long Radio Mashaal call-in show known for interactive debates on social and political issues. Every Tuesday millions of listeners in the Pakistani borderlands of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces tune in to the show.

As international troops prepare to leave Afghanistan this year, the country's security forces remain in dire need of reforms and reorganization to provide internal security and defense against foreign aggression.

Former and serving Afghan military generals participating in a recent Radio Free Afghanistan call-in show, "On the Waves of Freedom," agreed that the international community, especially the United States, has helped strengthen the country’s military, but identified a long list of challenges that remain.

Javed Kohistani, a former general, observed, "Many parts of our current security forces were conceived by the international community. They cannot meet Afghan needs, and our Ministry of Defense has little authority to reform these forces." He said that structural changes are necessary to build a professional fighting force loyal to Kabul.

Kohistani criticized the current centralized military bureaucracy in Kabul, which must be staffed by professional generals whose talent and skills could be better deployed in the field.

"At present, many qualified and professional army officers are assigned to a menial job, which prevents the development and evolution of a professional national army," he said.

Kohistani also pointed out the need for a robust system to manage promotions and rotations, enforce discipline, and ensure troops’ welfare, particularly those who are killed or wounded in action.

Institutional reform must be accompanied by "a new doctrine focusing on serving the nation because it will boost morale in the ranks," Kohistani said, adding that it presupposed a strong will and clear political objective at the highest levels of leadership.

Lawmaker Jabar Qahraman, another former general, remarked that the current Afghan military is strikingly different from the Soviet-backed force he served in the 1980s.

He said the communist army bankrolled by the Kremlin was a conscript force, while the current NATO-backed army is a volunteer organization, which is very expensive for a poor country like Afghanistan to support.

In addition, "Our army was facing a popular uprising backed by the international community," he said, whereas "The current war in Afghanistan is covert, which requires our military to become a robust counterterrorist force."

Qahraman also cited the need to fight corruption inside the military and make better use of its limited resources. He pointed to the recent purchase of 29 airplanes from Italy, which cost Kabul $35o million and yet cannot fly.

General Afzal Aman, head of operations of the Afghan National Army, defended the country’s troop posture, stating, "Our army has taken over security responsibilities from international forces and now conducts all its operations independently."

He cited the need for improved intelligence and reconnaissance equipment.

One caller, who chose to remain anonymous, criticized Afghan President Hamid Karzai for being soft on the Taliban and slow to recognize the sacrifices of Afghan soldiers.

"The Taliban regularly kill our forces and innocent civilians, still the president recently released some dangerous Taliban prisoners," he said.

Every Thursday millions of Afghans in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Tajikistan tune in to "On the Waves of Freedom." This weekly two-hour long radio call-in show is known for its analysis and political commentary, and is a flagship program of Radio Free Afghanistan, locally known as Radio Azadi.