Frontier Crimes Regulation Act

The Frontier Crimes Regulation Act (FCRA) of 1901 is a colonial-era legal framework governing tribal areas in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. It grants the government special authority to maintain order, with tribal elders having limited power. The Act allows for collective punishment, detention, or exile of entire communities, and minimizes judicial processes, often bypassing standard legal protections. Critics regard it as outdated and oppressive, calling for reforms to ensure transparency, human rights, and fair justice in these regions.