Armed Conflict in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan and the Role of NGOs in Restoring Health Services

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan have been a hotbed of terrorists' violence since 9/11. The unremitted armed conflict in the region and limited role of the government in delivering fundamental health services has left the people at the disposal of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). This research aims at empirically substantiating the successful strategies adopted by the NGOs to run their projects under threats and to know the perceptions of the community toward NGOs and their services. Triangulation methodology was adopted in collecting data. Based on results, the research found that health care is a highly demanded service in the study area, and the government does not have the capacity nor the resources to ensure decent health coverage for all the people of the region. NGOs indeed have a crucial role not only in building the capacity of the government and the community but also in restoring and providing health services in the region, but still many efforts are required to overcome the challenges they are facing. By implication, the research places forward some recommendations.