The first convoy carrying critical supplies will pass through Tal Parachinar Road today (Saturday), as the key road connecting Karam district to the rest of the country reopens after three months of closure under a peace deal between warring tribes in the restive region. has opened.
A convoy departing from Chhapri, Tal will soon deliver essential supplies including medicines, oil, wheat and other food items to Parachinar under tight security by the Police and Frontier Corps (FC).
Barrister Saif, adviser to Chief Minister KP, who arrived in Kohat last night, will lead a convoy of 75 heavy vehicles.
Commissioner Kohat, Deputy Inspector General and police officials are also accompanying Barrister Saif.
Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry emphasized that the peace committees will ensure the security of the convoy and compliance with the agreements. He said these committees, which include local residents, tribal elders, and political leaders representing all sects and communities, have been tasked with maintaining harmony in the area.
Passenger vehicles are also expected to resume operations in convoy form in the next few days, the official said.
Local residents have pledged to hand over their weapons to the state within 15 days under a phased process, while the elimination of local bunkers is expected to be completed within a month, official sources revealed.
The reopening of the highway is an important step towards restoring normalcy in the region, ensuring uninterrupted flow of goods and strengthening communal peace.
The two warring tribes in Kurram finally reached an agreement and signed a peace deal last week after days of talks. The agreement came after a Grand Jirga held in Kohat, where 50 meetings were held to reach a consensus. All parties contributed to the peace agreement, which aims to restore stability to the conflict-torn region.
Jirga member Malik Swab Khan said the 14-point agreement, aimed at bringing peace to the region as violence gripped the region for weeks, was signed by 45 members from each side. .
The KP government has announced that any party doing aggression in Kurram district will be treated as terrorists after dismantling the existing bunkers.
Barrister Saif said on Friday that as per the decision of the Apex Committee, Karam will be cleared of arms and bunkers to ensure long-term peace.
The KP apex body had last month decided to liquidate all private weavers in Kurram district as part of efforts to restore peace in the area.
Karma crisis
Karam, a district of more than 600,000 residents near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, has long been a hotbed of sectarian violence.
Despite several cease-fires declared over the past year, the issue has not been resolved, with tribal leaders continuing efforts to negotiate a permanent peace agreement.
Recent months have seen a rise in tensions, with more than 200 people killed in clashes since July.
Clashes that began in November have exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in the district, with supplies of medicine and oxygen running low due to the prolonged blockade of the main highway linking Parachinar to Peshawar.
Reports suggest that more than 100 children may have died due to acute shortage of medicines, although Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Saif has denied these claims.
Apart from the ongoing sit-in at the Parachinar Press Club, road closures have sparked protests in Karachi, now in their ninth day. On Monday, a separate protest was held in Bagan, lower area of Karam, against damage to shops and houses in the area.
The protesters demanded the reopening of the roads and aid for the affected people. However, district administration officials cited security concerns, including recent firing on passenger vehicles and tribal clashes, as reasons for the closure.
The district was declared “disaster-affected” by the provincial government, with officials sending medical supplies to the area and evacuating people in dire need.
Asserting that all major points have been agreed upon, Barrister Saif said that the bunkers will be dismantled and the area will be de-weaponised as per the decision of the Apex Committee.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to finding a permanent and sustainable solution to the more than a century old conflict.