Abstract
Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan are the focus of world attention once again after the incident of 9/11. FATA has remained in international focus since the turbulent Cold War era due to its geostrategic position and the mode of the tribal society. Rival forces have competed to extend their spheres of influence in the region. Though FATA has remained at the cross-roads of civilization yet it has assumed much more importance after 9/11 due to the rise of militancy there. The situation in FATA is extremely volatile nowadays. It has dangerous repercussions not only for the tribal region but also for the country even for the region and the world at large. However, one should not surprise for such type of situation in FATA because since ancient times it has always been of critical importance to South Asian and Central Asian states and empires due to its geographical and strategic alignment on the northwest and the character of its inhabitants as well. Yet the understanding of the tribal region, unfortunately, is driven by a lack of awareness of the broader history and deeper cultural knowledge that have shaped this region. In the present context of militant and extremist activities in the tribal region of FATA, besides many other factors, Afghan factor plays an important role in the rise of militancy in the tribal areas. The rise of militancy in FATA is the outcome of the Afghan wars with Soviet Union in the twentieth century and with the United States of America in the twenty first century, and Pak-Afghan relationship plays an important role as well. What is happening in Afghanistan directly affects the Pashtun belt particularly the tribal region of Pakistan. Here an attempt has been made to analyse the role of Afghan factor in the present militant and extremist activities in FATA. In order to argue its case, this paper relies upon published primary and secondary sources as well as the researcher's first hand knowledge by discussion of the topic with many experts on the subject of FATA.