Abstract
FATA (Presently part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) is under international
focus since the incident of 9/11. It is considered as the breeding ground
of terrorism which is considered to be a serious threat for peace not
only in Pakistan, Afghanistan but also the whole world. FATA,
unfortunately, is one such region that has become a sort of safe haven
for hostile individuals and groups who have successfully taken
advantage of prevailing circumstances-poverty, illiteracy, state neglect
and institutional isolation. As a result of modernization all over the
world, uneven levels of development exist. Sharing of benefits among
different ethnic groups and discrimination in terms of development
creates disequilibrium in a society. According to Ted Robert Gurr, in
this situation, under privileged ethnic groups may develop a perception
of relative deprivation. He propounded the ‘Relative Deprivation’
theory (psychological frustration-aggression theory) which argues that
the primary source of the human capacity for violence is the
frustration-aggression mechanism. Frustration does not necessarily
lead to violence, Gurr says, but when it is sufficiently prolonged and
sharply felt, it often does result in anger and eventually lead to violence
and extremist activities. It equally qualifies for the region of FATA
because the tribesmen feel frustration for their neglect on the part of
the successive governments of Pakistan since its inception in all fields
of life. By presenting an indigenous perspective of FATA, the aim of
this paper is to try and unearth the reasons behind the current
situation, which has over time been marked by instability, lawlessness
and turmoil, thus leading many in the west to refer to the region as ‘no
man’s land’—a region ungovernable and lacking in civilization. The
study will focus on its analysis by using the ‘Relative Deprivation’
theory as the analytical framework. In order to argue its case, this
Mohammad Zaher Shah. (2019) Rise Of Militancy In Tribal Areas: An Application Of Relative Deprivation Theory, Pakistan , Volume 55, Issue 1.
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