Postcolonial Patronage and Dynastic Politics: Contrast between Khyber District and the Rest of Pakistan

The process of decolonization in the South Asian subcontinent was accompanied by certain centrifugal tendencies, rendering the newly emerged states with shadows of political patronage and dynastic power holders. Pakistan, as a product of the same process, has been susceptible to the same tendencies. The research has explored the impact of the recent merger of the Northwest frontier in KP, on the trends of patronage and dynastic politics in the erstwhile FATA, taking the Khyber District as a representative. To evaluate the impact of merger, against the broader postcolonial backdrop, the research has analyzed it in contrast to the overall dynamics of patronage and dynastic politics in Pakistan. To meet the stated objective, the study encompasses two rounds of survey; survey1.0 (targeting the public of Pakistan) and Survey2.0 (targeting the public of the Khyber district). Research is based upon the methodological approach of scientific realism. Evidence suggests that patronage and dynastic politics are prevalent in both Pakistan and the post-merger Khyber District. Nevertheless, the prevalent tendencies are not uniform in nature. Therefore, a comprehensive and relative set of reforms is required to deal with the colonial trap in respective areas.<br>