Waziristan
Waziristan (Pashto and Urdu: وزیرستان), "land of the Wazir" is a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering about 11,585 km2 (4,473 sq mi). It was part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which was not part of any of the country's four provinces. It is now part of the province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Legal status
changeThough declared by the rebels as a "state" or "emirate", there are questions whether the region should have that name. Those who support that the region is a state point to the facts that the federal government has little to no power in the region and that the area is ruled mostly by tribal elders.[1] The Taliban are reported to control most of the region with its own style of Sharia rule, which the Pakistan government has been unable to stop.[2][3] Such bold show of autonomy has led one writer in the Wall Street Journal to remark that Waziristan was a "state within a state."[4]
References
change- ↑ Rupert, James (9 February 2006). "Where the Taliban still rule". Newsday. Retrieved 28 September 2006.
- ↑ Shahzad, Syed Saleem (8 February 2006). "The Taliban's bloody foothold in Pakistan". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 22 September 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2006.
- ↑ "Border Backlash". MSNBC. 2006-07-31. Archived from the original on 2007-01-12. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
- ↑ Ijaz, Mansoor (19 September 2006). "Musharrafistan". Wall Street Journal.[permanent dead link]