Tribal elders today demanded that FATA be made Pakistan’s fifth province or given a special status like the Northern Areas.  They seek the integration of their region into Pakistan’s mainstream yet do not want to lose their influence nor their areas’ distinctness.  The Awami National Party (ANP), which leads the NWFP-governing coalition, would like FATA integrated into the Frontier Province, soon to be renamed Pakhtunkhwa.  This position of the FATA elders, which is also consistant with that of many of the militants, stands in contrast to the Pakhtun nationalist orientation of the ANP.  While the ANP seeks to be the ‘sole spokesman’ of the Pakhtun, this will not be possible given the natural and strategic differences between the Pakhtun within and on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border.