Paktia

Paktia exemplifies how tribal governance persists beneath formal state structures. The province anchors Loya Paktia ("Greater Paktia")—a historical region spanning modern Khost, Paktia, and Paktika provinces that predates and transcends national boundaries. The Karlani and Ghilji Pashtun confederacies here—including Mangal, Zadran, Zazai, Ahmadzai, and Waziri tribes—maintain traditional justice systems that most residents trust more than government courts. Tribal councils (jirgas) resolve disputes that formal institutions cannot reach.

The pattern has proven remarkably durable. Between 2021 and 2024, the Taliban's Ministry of Borders and Tribal Affairs reconciled over 30 long-standing feuds in the region by working through elder networks—including a 50-year vendetta ended in January 2024 and a 13-year dispute resolved in October 2024. The approach acknowledges reality: a population 91% Pashtun with ancient tribal allegiances cannot be governed by imposing alien systems. The Taliban succeed where previous governments failed partly by adapting to rather than replacing traditional authority structures.

Geography reinforces autonomy. The rugged Hindu Kush extensions that cover Paktia's 6,400 square kilometers make centralized control difficult. The Khost-Gardez mountain pass links the provincial capital Gardez to Khost; the Pakistani border gives access to Kurram and North Waziristan. These connections across the Durand Line matter more to tribal networks than administrative boundaries drawn in Kabul. The Haqqani Network's southeastern strongholds include Paktia precisely because tribal governance creates spaces where state power attenuates. The province demonstrates that even totalitarian movements must negotiate with structures older and more resilient than themselves.