Waziristan

Waziristan (Pashto and ), "land of the Wazir" is a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering about . 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
Though 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. 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. Such bold show of autonomy has led one writer in the Wall Street Journal to remark that Waziristan was a "state within a state."

References

Category:Regions of Pakistan