There is a reason why Britain - a tiny Island with a small army - managed to become world’s largest Empire with almost a quarter of world’s land surface under its control.
One of the all time popular academic explanation for British imperial success is that they were simply too good with people’s assessment and observing local characteristics and devising their strategies accordingly.
PTI had been given a mandate in KPK when they neither properly campaigned there nor media portrayed PTI’s war exist strategy least bit hopeful to the cause of KPK. But to Imran in particular:
You were given a mandate in KPK despite your inability to string a sentence together in Pashto.
You were given a mandate in KPK when you did not even have any prominent Pashtun members in your ranks
You were given a mandate in KPK when you hardly ever visited war torn Peshawar, Noshera or Mardan
You were given a mandate in KPK despite your party being Punjab based
You were given a mandate in KPK despite neither you nor your party having any administrative experience at any level
This is beyond extraordinary!
You were given a mandate simply on the basis of an honest promise and a sincere ideology - this tell you something about the local characteristics which you might fail to capitalise to extend your reach to FATA and Balochistan.
It is a very Pashtun/tribal trait to trust a promise and honour a pledge. Look at the way Pakistan Army has effectively pacified, and in fact befriended once extremely hostile tribal leaders through communication and trust building exercises. Study the way Jinnah took his case for Pakistan to FATA elders and won their support. Look at the way how your party got a chance there. The point is it is so easy to gain tribal trust and earn a chance, the moment you employ some sincerity and conviction to your legitimate cause. That perhaps explains the reason why JI, JUIF, MWM, ANP, PMLN, PPP all had enjoyed popularity and mandate in KPK on simply one of basis.
Anyway…
The operation in FATA will soon finish. The region will yearn for a new political order, it is a backyard of KPK and the onus is really on PTI to penetrate into FATA and help develop a political network there since the KPK and FATA population shares a natural link with each other in every way. FATA and Balochistan will be the new players in Pakistan political structure, soon or later. So you need to go into FATA and introduce issue based politics there. Go in FATA, propose plans for education, health, justice, employment, agricultural, infrastructure. Bring those people’s concerns into mainstream, take your party’s ideas and plans there. Have those people on board with you. Develop a political network there. Attend political Jirgas in FATA and raise these issues there, earn those people’s trust and support to allow merging of FATA with KPK.
I know FATA is a Federal domain, but you PTI with Gov in KPK has the most natural access to those people. Plan a big visit if you can. Pashtuns are the most democratic and egalitarian people, the Jirga way of politics really suit Imran Khan’s style of very direct and decisive politics.