Accessibility statement

Fazal Wahab

Title of Research:

Counterterrorism policies of Pakistan; How does a war generation survive and resist the armed conflict in the Tribal districts?

Brief overview of research topic:

Terrorism studies have often focused on terrorism as the only problem and state responses as the solution but sometimes state counterterrorism measures can contribute to the problem. Critical Terrorism Studies (CTS) have shown that violent counterterrorism measures are often ineffective, and counterproductive and exacerbate the suffering of Indigenous Local Communities. In particular, from a postcolonial perspective, we can see how these measures can end up reproducing imperial power relations. For example, the FATA region (now Tribal districts) in Pakistan has been created as a buffer zone for centuries and communities there are still marginalised. Yet, local communities are not just passive victims of non-state terrorism or state counterterrorism violence. We know that they also have rich arsenals of resistance in everyday ways, for example, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement. Existing research in orthodox, as well as CTS, often focuses on policies in Western countries and there has been very little research on local communities not just as victims but as political actors. Building on postcolonial approaches and CTS the project focuses on the notion of how civilians survive and resist armed conflict – terrorism and counterterrorism – in Pakistan, which not only contributes to academic research but also has policy implications.

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Fazal is supervised by Dr Jacob Eriksson

Contact details

Mr Fazal Wahab

www.linkedin.com/in/fazal-wahab-4400b6118/
@f_wahab5