Karam: Deputy Commissioner of Karam Javedullah Mehsud was shot and injured in fresh firing as violence erupted in Bagan area despite a peace accord to restore peace in the crisis-hit region.
Apart from the DC, five others were injured, including a Frontier Constabulary official, a policeman and three civilians who were passing by, district administration officials said.
The deputy commissioner, who played a key role in efforts to restore peace in the troubled area, and others were rushed to the hospital soon after the attack.
Speaking to the media in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Saif said that by the grace of Allah, everyone’s condition is now stable and out of danger.
He also said that the deputy commissioner was the target of the attack. “The firing was done at the Deputy Commissioner’s vehicle,” he added.
Kohat Regional Police Officer Abbas Majeed Marwat told Geo News that unknown persons opened fire on the vehicle of the district administration.
The official clarified that it was unknown persons who fired at the district administration vehicle and not at the tribal people. He said that a search operation has been started in the area to find the suspects.
Karam has been in the spotlight for months now as continued violence in the district has claimed more than 130 lives and left scores injured, with a peace deal finally reached on January 1 after nearly 50 days of talks between tribal elders. found
The warring parties in Karam district had agreed on 14 points with the help of the Grand Jirga, including the handover of private weapons to the government and dismantling of bunkers.
It was hoped that the agreement would hold as the violence forced the government to block the Tal Parachinar road, leading to shortages of food, medicine and other essential items in the district.
As a result of the firing, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said that the convoy of trucks carrying relief goods in the district has been stopped for now.
He also said that the condition of the Deputy Commissioner is out of danger and he is being shifted to Peshawar by helicopter for further medical assistance.
Condemnations, warnings
President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the firing incident in Lower Kurram and stressed the need to take strict action against those elements who are trying to disrupt peace efforts in the area.
The President’s Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release that the President prayed for the speedy recovery of the Deputy Commissioner and others who were injured in the firing incident.
The President observed that miscreants want to create chaos and urged the public not to allow these elements to succeed in their nefarious purposes.
Apart from this, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the firing incident and expressed his heartfelt wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident including the DC.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that the attack is an attempt to damage the peace agreement in the region. He asserted that those trying to disrupt law and order will not succeed.
The Prime Minister also assured that the government and the security forces are active in combating terrorism and ensuring the safety of the people.
He reiterated the government’s determination to maintain peace and stability in the region.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack on the official vehicle and called it a deliberate attempt to harm the peace agreement.
He prayed for the speedy recovery of DC Mehsud who was injured in the attack. The minister described the incident as a malicious act by miscreants who want to destabilize the region, calling it a “conspiracy” against the peace process.
Condemning the accident, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said that the firing incident proved the failure and incompetence of the provincial government. He also prayed for Mehsud’s speedy recovery.
KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam expressed deep regret over the firing incident and explained that the Deputy Commissioner was on his way to Baghan when unknown gunmen opened fire on his vehicle.
He urged both sides to maintain peace, stressing that efforts were being made to ensure the implementation of the Kohat Agreement.
The chief secretary warned that strict legal action will be taken against those who try to disrupt law and order in Kurram region.