Waziristan

North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, on the Afghanistan border. An extremely arid and mountainous region, it is divided into N Waziristan, inhabited by farming Wazir tribes, and S Waziristan, populated by seminomad Mahsuds. The two tribes, both of Pathan descent, have constant blood feuds and supplement their meager incomes by brigandage. They live in fortresslike mountain villages. A major source of income derives from the smuggling and processing of illicit drugs. Fertile valleys in parts of N Waziristan support wheat, corn, barley, and millet; livestock are also raised. In S Waziristan the hills are used for grazing, and forests on the higher slopes provide timber.