Post 9/11: Terror, Terrorists and Women in Pakistan’s Tribal Areas
by Saba Gul Khattak,Pakistan
While the present 9/11 context divides the world simplistically into friends or foes, it is clear that real life situations are not so simple. This paper examines the post 9/11 US-led global war on terror and its unaccounted impacts on ordinary people’s lives, especially women’s, in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
The paper provides the political background within which the current violence in the area is embedded and argues that the Wana operations are a continuation of the historical manner in which the Pakistani state deals with political problems. This paper, thus, juxtaposes the tensions between international politics, state survival, regime continuity and people’s security, with a focus on women. Specifically, it asserts that the colonial laws that still apply to the tribal areas in tandem with local customs reinforce women’s invisibility at several levels and contexts—and result in increased oppression and injustice. Women’s voices remain unheard making it possible to project violence in a dehumanized manner in order to continue it. While pushing for women’s concerns to be translated into policy agendas, the paper argues that the developments emanating from the current tensions will impact the future options and arrangements of state society relations.
