Frontier Crimes Regulations
The Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) comprise a special set of laws of Pakistan which are applicable to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of northwestern Pakistan. The law states that three basic rights are not applicable to the residents of FATA – appeal, wakeel and daleel (the right to request a change to a conviction in any court, the right to legal representation and the right to present reasoned evidence, respectively).
The FCR has its origins in the Murderous Outrages Regulation (FOR) which was enacted by the British Empire to prosecute crimes in British India. The Murderous Outrages Act 1877 was specifically devised to counter the opposition of the Pashtuns to British rule, and their main objective was to protect the interests of the British Empire. The laws are currently applied by the Government of Pakistan to FATA residents.
History
The Murderous Outrages Regulation was enacted in British India (which includes modern Pakistan) in 1867 to give the government additional powers to prosecute serious crimes such as murder. It was re-enacted in 1873 with minor modifications, and again in 1877 as the "Ghazi Act" for its use in the Pashtun-inhabited frontier districts. The 1893 unilateral demarcation of the Durand Line by the British as the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which divided Pashtun tribes across the border, caused further animosity among the Pashtun.
