AN ANALYSIS OF PAKISTAN POLICY IN THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM AND ITS IMPLICATIONS IN KPK PAKISTAN
Muhammad Salaman

Abstract
This study seeks to understand those gaps in the interaction of the policies of Pakistan and the US which have negative ramifications for Pakistan in general, and the Pakhtuns of KPK in particular. How the war on terror has contributed to the trends of stereotyping Pakhtuns and the impacts of these trends are analyzed. It also examines the dents caused by the insurgency and counter-insurgency operations to the socio-economic milieu of Pakhtuns. A complete qualitative documentary analysis has been performed with the application of field data in the form of case studies. The interaction between US’ and Pakistan’s policies and the respective strategic compulsions of both the allies and its ramifications for Pakistan, and particularly for the Pakhtuns of the KPK, is the major theme of the paper. The second part of the paper argues against the flux of stereotyped arguments against Pakhtuns in the context of the war on terror. These arguments are unjustified and it is argued that these accounts of some of the writers may need correction. The third part highlights some major dents to the social-economic milieu of Pakhtuns. Finally, the paper concludes that the hidden objectives of US behind the war on terror, the involvement of the extra regional characters, Pakistan’s strategic compulsions, lack of political will on the part of Pakistani leadership and the exploitation of the Pakhtuns’ culture by the militants are the major factors causing damage to the socio-economic life of Pakhtuns in FATA and KPK.

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