Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Director of the Tribal News Network (TNN) [1], who is a journalist based in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), speaking on his own behalf, stated that the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe lives "in [the] the Frontier Region Bannu and South Waziristan Agency in Pakistan['s] tribal region" (Director 22 May 2018). Other sources similarly indicate that the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe is present in South Waziristan (Jamestown Foundation 9 Sept. 2011; DAWN 23 June 2017; Stratfor 4 Jan. 2013), in the area "bordering Afghanistan" (Stratfor 4 Jan. 2013). Similarly, a report on the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe by the Program for Culture and Conflict Studies of the Monterey-based Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) [2] states that the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe "control[s] the border regions between South Waziristan and Afghanistan" (NPS n.d.a). According to the NPS report,

[the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe's] ancestral home appears to have been in the Birmal Valley in Afghanistan. Two-thirds of the Ahmadzais live in the Bannu District, and the remaining one-third lives in South Waziristan Agency near Wana and the Shakai Valley. A large number [of Ahmadzais] migrate to and from these areas according to the season. (NPS n.d.a)

According to The Washington Times, the city of Wana [in South Waziristan] "is almost exclusively controlled by Ahmedzai Waziri tribesmen" (The Washington Times 23 Jan. 2008).

According to the Director, the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe "belongs to the Pashtun ethnic group" (Director 22 May 2018). According to sources, the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe is a sub-tribe of the Wazir [Waziri] tribe (Stratfor 4 Jan. 2013; HRCP 23 May 2018). Sources indicate that the Wazir tribe is present in Waziristan (Jamestown Foundation 9 Sept. 2011; HRCP 23 May 2018). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Chairman of the FATA Commission for Human Rights [3] indicated that the Wazir tribe is "mainly divided into two sub-tribes of the Pashtun: 1. Ahmadzai Wazir and 2. Utmabzai Wazir" (FATA Commission for Human Rights 27 May 2018). The Chairman further stated that the Utmabzai Wazir "mostly reside in Nanny and the frontier region of Bannu up to the North Waziristan agency of FATA, while the Ahmadzai Wazir have been living in South Waziristan, mainly in Wana [and the village of] Angoor Adda" (FATA Commission for Human Rights 27 May 2018).

Sources indicate that sub-tribes of the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe include the following: Gangikhel (TNN 19 Oct. 2015; The Express Tribune 6 Apr. 2012); Khojalkhel, Tojikhel, and Zalikhel (The Express Tribune 6 Apr. 2012) as well as Karmazkhel (TNN 19 Oct. 2015).

2. Distinguishing Features, Religion, Cultural Practices and Occupations

Information on distinguishing features, religion, cultural practices and occupations of members of the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources indicate that the members of the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe are Muslim (Director 22 May 2018; FATA Commission for Human Rights 27 May 2018), "predominantly Sunni" (Director 22 May 2018). According to the NPS report, the Ahmadzai Waziri "are of the Hanafi sect of Sunni Islam" and "[t]hey are not particularly strict in the performance of their religious duties" (NPS n.d.a).

The same source states that "[t]he majority of Wazirs are pastoral. The Wazirs earn their livelihoods from sheep rearing" (NPS n.d.a). According to the Chairman of the FATA Commission for Human Rights, members of the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe are mostly "farmers, keeping cattle, and doing business" (FATA Commission for Human Rights 27 May 2018).

The Chairman added that "Atan is [the] traditional dance" of the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe (FATA Commission for Human Rights 27 May 2018). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Relationships with Other Tribes

Information on relationships between the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe and other tribes was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to The Washington Times, the "Ahmedzais routinely organize jirgas, or traditional councils, to negotiate with the Mehsuds, another Pashtun tribe" (The Washington Times 23 Jan. 2008). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune, "[s]ub-tribes of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe signed a peace agreement [with each other] in a jirga held in South Waziristan Agency" in April 2012 (The Express Tribune 6 Apr. 2012). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. Treatment by Authorities

According to The Los Angeles Times,

[n]either Pakistan's parliament nor its judiciary has any power in the tribal areas. Instead, the region remains subject to a 1901 set of British colonial laws called the Frontier Crimes Regulation [FCR], which has seen little modification since Pakistan gained independence in 1947. (The Los Angeles Times 5 Nov. 2017)

Other sources similarly indicate that the FATA region is governed by the FCR (Director 22 May 2018; The Diplomat 13 Dec. 2016), while "the rest of Pakistani territory is governed under the country's constitution'' (The Diplomat 13 Dec. 2016). According to The Los Angeles Times, under the FCR,

federally appointed civil servants, called political agents, enjoy nearly unchecked power. And they wield an especially harsh form of criminal enforcement known as collective punishment.

Collective punishment allows government agents to exact retribution on an entire family, or even an entire tribe, for the misdeeds of one member. (The Los Angeles Times 5 Nov. 2017)

An opinion piece, written by a retired army officer from FATA, similarly states that the FCR is "anchored in the principle of collective responsibility and the prominence of the political agent who holds executive, judicial as well as law-enforcement powers" (DAWN 1 Jan. 2012). According to Reuters, in Pakistan's tribal areas, including South Waziristan, "relatives, tribesmen and neighbors of suspects can be arrested and detained for years without trial for a crime committed by another" (Reuters 11 Mar. 2016). The Director stated that

[u]nder the law of the land, if a crime is committed by an individual from a tribe, the rest of the tribe is punished for the crime under [the] collective responsibility clause of the FCR. The punishment could be in the form of putting members of the tribe in jail or banning [the] issuance/provision of passports, Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC), domiciles certificate or any other documents by the government of Pakistan. (Director 22 May 2018)

The TNN reports that in October 2015, the political administration of South Waziristan Agency arrested 30 people of the Gangikhel and Karmazkhel sub-tribes of the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe under the collective responsibility law (TNN 19 Oct. 2015). Without specifying the tribe or sub-tribes, Reuters reports that in March 2016, "Pakistani authorities … arrested 22 tribesmen in the … northwestern South Waziristan region in a 'collective responsibility' punishment a day after eight government officials were kidnapped" (Reuters 11 Mar. 2016). The TNN reports that in April 2018, the "political administration … arrested five persons of the Karmazkhel tribe under collective responsibility," placed a "ban on [the] issuance of domicile and national identity cards to people of the tribe," and "stopped all perks of the tribe" (TNN 28 Apr. 2018). Further information on the ability of members of the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe to obtain identity documents could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

5. Relationship with Authorities

Media sources from 2008 state that Ahmadzai Waziri tribesmen "are considered friendly to the government" of Pakistan (The Washington Times 23 Jan. 2008) or that militants of the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe are considered "pro-government" (DAWN 8 Feb. 2008).

According to sources, Maulvi Nazir was a leader of the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe (Stratfor 4 Jan. 2013; The New York Times 3 Jan. 2013). The New York Times states that Maulvi Nazir was "a top Pakistani militant leader," adding that Nazir

was allied with Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a leading warlord in North Waziristan. The two commanders' non-confrontational posture toward the Pakistani military often led to their being labelled as 'good Taliban'. (The New York Times 3 Jan. 2013)

Sources indicate that Maulvi Nazir was killed in 2013 by a US drone (Stratfor 4 Jan. 2013; The New York Times 3 Jan. 2013). According to Stratfor [4], Maulvi Nazir "had been helping Islamabad combat hostile Taliban factions" (Stratfor 4 Jan. 2013). The same source further states that "[f]rom the very early days of the Pakistani Taliban rebellion in 2003-2004, Nazir's group served as a proxy force against the al Qaeda-linked Taliban forces that were hostile to the government" (Stratfor 4 Jan. 2013). According to Stratfor,

Islamabad considers Maulvi Nazir's group a benevolent Taliban faction because the tribal militia has not waged war against the Pakistani state, although it has been involved in militant activity in Afghanistan. Nazir and the Pakistani government had an understanding for years, which helped Pakistan limit the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan's influence in South Waziristan. (Stratfor 4 Jan. 2013)

Sources indicate that Nazir had pushed Uzbek fighters out of Pakistan (Stratfor 4 Jan. 2013; The New York Times 3 Jan. 2013) "with the help of the Pakistani military" (The New York Times 3 Jan. 2013).

Information on the current leader or hierarchical structure of the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the Director, the Ahmadzai Waziri tribe "and all other tribes living in FATA have experienced the worst kind of violence and suffered from fighting between the Pakistan military and the Taliban over the last 14 years of chaos in the region" (Director 22 May 2018). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] TNN is a Peshawar-based multi-media agency "serving online and radio audiences" in the FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) (TNN n.d.). TNN "has correspondents reporting from all districts of KP and FATA, from Dir and Mansehra in the north to Wana and Dera Ismail Khan in the south" (TNN n.d.).

[2] NPS is a "naval/defense-oriented research university" (NPS n.d.b) and "a graduate university offering master's and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, [Department of Defence] civilians and international partners" (NPS n.d.c).

[3] The FATA Commission for Human Rights is an independent human rights body that works "for the protection and promotion of [h]uman [r]ights for the FATA people" (The Pashtun Times 10 Dec. 2015). It supports "[h]uman [r]ights and activist organisations, monitoring violations in FATA and taking efforts to seek and redress any violations through public campaigns, media attention, lobbying and the courts" (The Pashtun Times 10 Dec. 2015). The FATA Commission for Human Rights has "representatives in all seven agencies or districts and the six Frontier Regions or sub-districts throughout FATA" (The Pashtun Times 10 Dec. 2015).

[4] Stratfor is an Austin-based "geopolitical intelligence platform" that develops analyses examining global events (Stratfor n.d.).

References

DAWN. 23 June 2017. "New Road to Facilitate Ahmadzai Wazir Tribe." [Accessed 17 May 2018]

DAWN. 1 January 2012. Gulman S, Afridi. "FCR's Collective Responsibility." [Accessed 22 May 2018]

DAWN. 8 February 2008. Ismail Khan. "What Next in South Waziristan?" [Accessed 23 May 2018]

The Diplomat. 13 December 2016. Farooq Yousaf. "'Collective Punishment' in Pakistan's Tribal Areas." [Accessed 22 May 2018]

Director, Tribal News Network (TNN). 22 May 2018. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

The Express Tribune. 6 April 2012. Zulfiqar Ali. "Sub-Tribes of Ahmadzai Wazir Tribe Sign Peace Deal." [Accessed 17 May 2018]

FATA Commission for Human Rights. 27 May 2018. Correspondence from the Chairman to the Research Directorate.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). 23 May 2018. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.

Jamestown Foundation. 9 September 2011. Zia Ur Rehman. "Pakistan's Military Urges Tribal Uprising Against Militants in North Waziristan." [Accessed 17 May 2018]

The Los Angeles Times. 5 November 2017. Umar Farooq. "'What Kind of Justice Is This?' A Cry from Pakistan's Remote Tribal Lands." [Accessed 22 May 2018]

Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). N.d.a. Program for Culture and Conflict Studies. Ahmadzai Wazir Tribe. [Accessed 17 May 2018]

Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). N.d.b. "NPS Vision." [Accessed 28 May 2018]

Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). N.d.c. "About Us." [Accessed 28 May 2018]

The New York Times. 3 January 2013. Salman Masood and Ismail Khan. "Drone Kills a Pakistani Militant Behind Attacks on U.S. Forces." [Accessed 17 May 2018]

The Pashtun Times. 10 December 2015. "Long Awaited FATA Commission of Human Rights Was Formally Launched." [Accessed 1 June 2018]

Reuters. 11 March 2016. Hafiz Wazir and Jibran Ahmed. "Pakistan Arrests 22 Tribesmen in 'Collective Responsibility' Punishment." [Accessed 22 May 2018]

Stratfor. 4 January 2013. "Pakistani Taliban Factions Complicate U.S.-Afghan Negotiations." [Accessed 17 May 2018]

Stratfor. N.d. "About Stratfor." [Accessed 17 May 2018]

Tribal News Network (TNN). 28 April 2018. "Waziristan Administration Arrest Five Persons Under Collective Responsibility." [Accessed 23 May 2018]

Tribal News Network (TNN). 19 October 2015. "30 People of Ahmedzai Wazir Tribe Arrested Under Collective Responsibility Law." [Accessed 17 May 2018]

Tribal News Network (TNN). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 22 May 2018]

The Washington Times. 23 January 2008. "Islamist Leader Exhibits Shrewdness." [Accessed 17 May 2018]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: The Asia Foundation; Center for Research and Security Studies; Centre for Social Justice; FATA Research Centre; Human Rights Focus Pakistan; International Organization for Migration; Jinnah Institute; The Middle East Institute; Minority Rights Group International; National Commission for Justice and Peace; National Peace Council for Interfaith Harmony; Pak Institute for Peace Studies; Pakistan – Ministry of Law and Justice; Pakistan Rural Development Programme; Religious Freedom Institute; Sarhad Rural Development Programme; South Asia Partnership Pakistan; UN – Information Centre Pakistan.

Internet sites, including: Agence France-Presse; Al Jazeera; Amnesty International; Associated Press; CBC; Deutsche Welle; ecoi.net; Encyclopedia Iranica; European Union – Asylum Support Office; The Guardian; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; IRIN; MENAFN; The Nation; Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting; UN – Refworld, Reliefweb; WTOP.