SUMMARY
The Lashkar of Orakzai tribe is a tribal militia operating in the Orakzai Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. The militia was created by a part of Orakzai tribes leaders (maliks) and elders, with a goal of fighting TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) militants present on tribal lands. One of the first attempts to form the lashkar occurred on 10 October 2008, when a large tribal council (jerga), convened specifically with that purpose. The council was suddenly interrupted by a TTP suicide attack which killed at least 82.
The Orakzai are a large Pashtun tribe, and the dominant population of the Orakzai agency. Being mostly, but not exclusively Sunni (5 of 18 sub-tribes are partly or totally Shia), relations within the tribe have been dominated by sectarian violence - with clashes recorded as early as the 19th century. The level of violence within the area increased substantially after the mid-1990s, when Taleban from Afghanistan found safe-havens in the Agency. The taleban encouraged the establishment of fundamentalist groups and cells within the area and imposing a very strict Sharia law in the areas under their control. Further, with the formation of TTP in 2007, violence increased further, as Taleban militants wanted to establish domination over the tribal areas. The Lashkar was convened in order to fight the militants, protect tribal lands and safeguard the maliks (that were specifically targeted).
The Orakzai Lashkar was relatively weakly armed and organised. Most armaments were antiquated, mainly consisting of surplus materiel left over from the Afghan war of the 1980s. Moreover, sectarian disputes within the Lashkar between Sunni and Shia limited the fighting force of the group even further.
The leadership of the group was organized according to the traditional principles, known as Pashtunwali. As such, leadership of the Lashkar was assured by the maliks and elders of the Orakzai tribe.
The Lashkar of Orakzai tribe has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.
