Parachinar, Peshawar: Residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s violence-hit Kurram district are going through a worsening crisis amid ongoing road closures that have led to acute shortages of food, medicine, fuel and other essential items in the area.
The main Karam-Peshawar road has been closed for 76 days following which residents staged a four-day sit-in at the Parachinar Press Club, in which children also participated.
With people starving to death due to severe food shortages, protesters say their sit-in will continue until the roads are reopened.
Talking about the closure of the roads, Deputy Commissioner of Karam Javedullah Mehsud has reiterated the government’s stand and said that the roads have been closed due to security concerns.
Last week, the provincial apex committee decided to dismantle all private bunkers in Kurram district as part of efforts to restore peace in the region, which has seen more than 200 deaths since July due to tribal clashes.
The government and tribal elders have been working hard to restore peace, with the warring parties agreeing to an indefinite ceasefire on 6 December.
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However, Upper Kurram has been cut off from the rest of the country due to the government’s decision to keep roads closed to contain the violence, leaving around 400,000 residents stranded there. The News reported on Sunday.
The prolonged shutdown has disrupted daily life in the area. Public and private educational institutions are forced to close due to fuel shortages, and ATMs are inactive as banks run out of cash. Hotels, bakeries, vegetable stalls and fruit shops are also closed due to lack of supplies.
Due to the humanitarian devastation in the district, rescue service Edhi Foundation is operating three flights daily to transport patients by air and medicines.
Lamenting the dire situation in the area, Saad Edhi said that at least 29 children had lost their lives due to lack of proper treatment, while he claimed that the actual number was much higher.
The protestors, who are staging a dharna, however, maintain that the number of dead children is more than 50.
A day earlier, sources associated with Edhi also claimed 31 deaths with 50 children killed at DHQ Hospital in Parachinar.
In light of the current situation in Karam, the provincial government has launched a helicopter service with an official message claiming that a total of 147 people, including tribal elders, patients, students, government staff and other citizens, have been airlifted so far. has been taken by ship.
On its first flight, the helicopter took 15 people, including Jirga members and government officials, from Peshawar to Parachinar.
The helicopter made three additional trips between Parachinar and Thal, transporting 87 people from Parachinar to Thal and 15 back to Parachinar.
On Sunday, its last flight carried 30 people from Parachinar to Peshawar.
Meanwhile, the number of people picked up by air in the last two days stood at 200.
Additionally, since December 4, helicopters have completed seven flights delivering medical supplies worth over Rs 60 million to Karam to meet the shortage of medicines in the area.
On Monday, KP Health Adviser Ehtisham Ali said that medicines worth crores have been supplied to Parachinar since December 4.
Giving details, the official said that 4.5 tonnes of medicines have been delivered in Karam Sadda.
He added that equipment has also been provided to DHQ Hospital Hangu to ensure the supply of medicines in the city.