By Zeeshan Haider
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities are encouraging Pashtun tribesmen on the Afghan border to revive traditional militias to counter rising Islamist militancy but analysts fear the move could backfire if not properly handled.
Under a centuries-old tradition, ethnic Pashtun tribes raise militias, known as lashkars, in their semi-autonomous regions to fight criminal gangs and enforce their tribal codes.
Pakistan, a front-line U.S. ally against al Qaeda and Taliban militants, has been under tremendous U.S. pressure to root out Taliban and al Qaeda militants responsible for rising violence in Afghanistan as well as in Pakistan.
The Pakistani military has sent more than 80,000 troops to the northwestern Pashtun lands along the Afghan border and launched offensives in two areas in August.
Authorities are now nudging the fiercely independent tribesmen, who carry guns as a symbol of honour, to raise their lashkars to reinforce the military's efforts.
"Now the Pashtun people themselves have risen against those who have turned their lives into hell," said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister of North Western Frontier Province.
"The threat of militants cannot be countered without the support of the people. These people need to be organised and we support any such move," he told Reuters.
Pakistani officials say they plan to supply assault rifles to thousands of tribesmen to fight the militants.
The strategy of supporting tribal militias to evict militants bears a parallel with the Awakening Council movement in Iraq, in which Sunni tribesmen have risen against al Qaeda and driven them from their neighbourhoods with help from the U.S. military.
Pentagon officials said U.S. military officers had advocated a similar plan for Pakistan for some time. "The concept is welcome," said a senior military official.
"SICK OF THE TALIBAN"
Last month, a lashkar of about 3,000 men was organised in the Bajaur region, a militant sanctuary where security forces launched a major offensive in August.
The lashkar began to take action against the militants early this month, demolishing houses of many militants, including that of Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban.
Several areas have been cleared of militants, said Malik Bacha Zain, a pro-government tribal elder.
"We raised the lashkar because we have become sick of the Taliban," he told Reuters by telephone from Bajaur. "We thought they'd bring peace but they brought war."
Similar lashkars are being raised in the Orakzai and Darra Adam Kheil tribal regions as well as in the Swat Valley northwest of Islamabad where security forces have been fighting militants loyal to a pro-Taliban cleric.
Analysts say the militias might succeed in driving out militants in some areas but there was risk they could turn into private armies.
"If these lashkars expel militants then it's OK but there's no guarantee the lashkars won't get out of control and become personal militias of tribal elders," said Rahimullah Yousufzai, a newspaper editor and expert on Pashtun affairs.
He said Islamist militant groups were raised and armed in a similar way during the U.S.-backed jihad or holy war against Soviet occupiers in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
That support contributed to the emergence of al Qaeda and allied groups now intent on battling the West and bringing down the Pakistani government.
"These militant groups are now working independently. We risk many more private armies in the shape of lashkars. It's a big gamble," Yousufzai said.
Analysts say the tribal elders raising lashkars also risk reprisals from the militants.
More than 50 tribesmen were killed this month in a suicide car bomb attack at a tribal meeting in Orakzai called to raise a lashkar. On Thursday, eight men were gunned down when they were returning from a similar tribal gathering.
Up to 300 pro-government tribal elders have been killed in North and South Waziristan, two other main militant sanctuaries, over the past few years.
Some analysts said rather than relying on militias, the government has to put more stress on the development of the backward tribal areas. The government highlights the importance of development but little has been done.
It has allocated 8.4 billion rupees ($104 million) for development in the region this year but given an economic crisis, it remains to be seen how much is spent. The United States has earmarked $750 million for projects in the tribal areas.
(Editing by Robert Birsel)
