For decades, Pakistanis had treated the tribal belt as a kind of lawless colony, famed for smuggling, hostage-taking and hashish production. The government exerted its authority through political agents like Khan and the maliks – handpicked elders whose loyalty was purchased with cash payments and sinecures. In the movies, villains escaped the law by fleeing into the tribal areas, where they vanished into a world of high-walled compounds and biddable tribesmen.
