The increasing number of anti-Taliban laskhars of volunteers in the tribal areas as well as settled districts of the Frontier province was no doubt a ray of hope for the people and the government, who believed it the most effective way to curb militancy. But the successive attacks on anti-Taliban jirgas, kidnappings and murders of some effective tribal elders, who played pivotal role in formation of the lashkars, are not only rendering the lashkars ineffective, but also posing the threat of pushing the militancy-hit regions to a looming civil war. The government has not been able to fully support the lashkars despite its claims of tactfully dealing the menace of militancy by extending support to the anti-Taliban lashkars. There is no arrangement for proper training of the volunteers, who join the squads so that they could be able to combat the well-trained militants.

The government has also been lethargic in extending financial support to the lashkars and providing them with weapons. Above all if they are killed by the militants no compensation is given to their bereaved families. The lack of compensation to the tribesmen is also causing anger among the tribal people, who say if anybody is killed in Islamabad or Bhakkar in terrorist incidents, his family is given Rs 300,000 as compensation, while not a single penny is given to the tribesmen. This cold shoulder response on part of the government is doing well to discourage the common tribal people to join the anti-Taliban squads, which they were enthusiastically joining in the initial days of formation of lashkars.

As far as the threat of civil war is concerned, many of sage tribal elders are of the opinion that the dust of militancy in the tribal areas would go down one day. Then the people who remained active in support of the Taliban and those who opposed them would start avenging the losses they have suffered so far. This would be another major problem that the tribal people would have to face.

The raising of tribal laskhars have invited the wrath of the militants, who seem confused amid the prolonged military operation in Swat, Bajaur Agency, semi-tribal region of Darra Adamkhel and other parts of the tribal belt, and some settled districts. Finding no way out, the militants, who have been on the run due to the excessive bombardment by jetfighters and gunship helicopters, are hitting the pro-government tribal elders and peace jirgas.

One such attack they made on an anti-Taliban jirga in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur Agency on November 6 that killed more than 20 tribal elders including the head of the tribal Lashkar in the same area, Malik Fazal Karim Baro, and about 100 tribesmen got injured. Karim Baro, who was a retired major of Bajaur Levies, is considered to be the leading figure who initiated formation of anti-Taliban squad in Bajaur Agency. It was in the afternoon, when the jirga of hundreds of tribal elders was in progress that a teenaged tribal boy came to the venue in a car. After getting down of the car, he went straight to the middle of the jirga and squatted near Fazal Karim. Soon he blew himself up that resulted in the huge human loss. The militant group in Salarzai area – Karwan-e-Nimatullah – claimed responsibility for the attack. 

A similar attack had been made on another anti-militant jirga in Adezai area of Orakzai tribal agency wherein more than 110 tribal elders had been killed. While, the militants in Chamarkand tehsil of Bajaur Agency had kidnapped 11 elders of a tribal lashkar a few weeks ago of which eight were beheaded and thrown away on the main road.

These incidents are a clear message to the tribal people from Taliban to stay away for forming lashkars against them. The lashkars in the initial days had recorded great successes against the militants, as only in Bajaur they had demolished the houses of several militant commanders including those of Maulana Faqir Mohammad, the central deputy head of Baitullah-Mehsud-led banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP], Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, the central spokesman for the banned organization, Haji Nimatullah and others.

The reason behind this was that the Taliban led by Maulvi Faqir were, and are, reluctant in getting involved in clashes with their fellow tribesmen. But some splinter groups of the TTP like the one led by Nimatullah in Salarzai and some other in Charmang and Mamond areas of Bajaur Agency, rose up against them.

The trend of anti-Taliban lashkars started from Buner district of NWFP in September this year, where the local populace chased and killed a group of six militants who had attacked a police station in Kingargali area of that district and brutally killed some eight policemen on duty. After that incident the people of Buner raised a formal lashkar of volunteers to contain the activities of militants in their area.

This was followed by the people of Maidan area in district Dir Lower, where the militants in a huge number had been shifted from Bajaur Agency to take shelter. The people of this area too gathered against the militants and set up checkpoints on the main road to purge them of their area. They carried out talks with the militants and managed to flush them out of the area. Similar meetings were held in Mardan, Swabi, Hangu, Lakki Marwat and other parts of the Frontier province.

In the tribal areas the first lashkar was formed in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur. According to reports the lashkar was formed when the Taliban ambushed three tribal elders namely Malik Bakhtawar Khan, Malik Shah Zarin and religious scholar Maulvi Sher Wali on their way home after a meeting with government officials in Khar where they pledged to raise a lashkar and sought government support for the purpose. The local tribesmen held the Taliban responsible for the killings and formed the lashkar under the headship of Fazal Kareem Baro. However, the Lashkar avoided flushing out the militants from their stronghold in Mula Said Banda and Darra areas of Salarzai tehsil. One time the Lashkar visited both the areas where they entered into an armed clash with Taliban that left 13 people including eight Lashkar men and five Taliban dead. The other prominent leaders of the Lashar in Salarzai are ex-MNA Shahabuddin Khan and Malik Manasib.

In Mamond tehsil of Bajaur tribal agency Malik Rahmatullah Khan and Malik Shahpur Khan formed lashkars. Mamond tehsil is considered to be the bastion of Taliban, hometown of Maulvi Faqir Muhammad who is leading Taliban in Bajaur. It also housed the main camp of the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan.

In Charmang tehsil of Bajaur agency Malik Sherdad and Malik Tari Gul set up Lashkar to contain local Taliban. But the Taliban inflicted colossal loss on the lashkar men by kidnapping 11 pro-lashkar tribal elders and later beheaded eight of them while the remaining three are still in their captivity.

The government should keep in mind that if it wants to see the tribal lashkars a success and save the tribal areas from civil war, it should keep a vigil on it and arrange necessary facilities for the volunteers. The government should screen out the people joining the lashkars to avoid entry of outlaws into them. It should arrange training and provide them war equipment. The government too should ensure compensation for those killed and announce stipends for the tribesmen joining the lashkars, as one cannot remain a volunteer for long time.