Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/journalist-describes-impoverished-islamist-northwest-pakistan Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript The tribal areas of Pakistan have become an increasing dangerous place. A National Geographic journalist describes the challenges of traveling in northwest provinces such as Waziristan and interacting with Islamists. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JIM LEHRER: And, finally tonight, the rugged lands of Pakistan. Margaret Warner has that story. MARGARET WARNER: Last month, U.S. intelligence agencies called new attention to the sanctuary that al-Qaida and its Taliban sympathizers have established in the tribal areas and northwest province of Pakistan. What are these areas like, and what is it about this region that gives rise to Islamic extremism?For that, we turn to Don Belt, senior editor at National Geographic. Earlier this year, he spent six weeks traveling throughout Pakistan with extensive time in the radical Islamic heartland and some of its major towns, including Quetta, Peshawar, and Miranshah in Northern Waziristan. His story, "Struggle for the Soul of Pakistan," appears in the September issue of the magazine.And, Don Belt, welcome.So, tell us, you went to these areas rarely seen by Western journalists. What's it like? What are the people like? DON BELT, National Geographic: Well, Margaret, there is an extraordinary difference in Pakistan between the lowlands of the east and the northwest territories that we're talking about here. The northwest is mountainous. People tend to be mountaineers, much like the people in the Appalachians in this country are.They're resilient; they're tough; they're self-reliant; they're independent as the dickens. They don't take kindly to outsiders coming in and telling them what to do. Many, many people carry guns in these areas. By law they're allowed to, so every person, every man, no matter how poor, is carrying a gun.And every man is a king in certain ways. It's incredibly difficult to lead or to control these territories because of this tradition that they have displayed for thousands of years of resisting outsiders. MARGARET WARNER: Now, is it very poor? DON BELT: Very poor. The Pashtun areas of Pakistan, which is the region we're talking about, is by far the poorest part of Pakistan, with very few government services, schools, health care facilities, et cetera, et cetera.