PESHAWAR: Despite the deployment of security personnel after the district administration enforced a truce last week, the unrest-plagued Kurram district stayed mostly calm over the weekend.
Official sources, however, said that two individuals were hurt on Sunday in Upper Kurram.
118 people were killed in the original attack on November 21, when gunmen opened fire on passengers; the remaining individuals were slain in retaliatory fights. The ceasefire, which followed 10 days of violent confrontation, has temporarily relieved the situation.
A government delegation stepped in after the retaliatory assaults and secured a ceasefire that lasted for a week and was later extended by three days.
Both Upper and Lower Kurram were subject to the truce, according to official sources. In the impacted villages, such as Khar Kalay, Morghay Cheena, Balesh Khel, Sangeena, Irfani Kalay, Jalamy, Chadrewal, Alizai, Bagan, Badshah Kot, and Talo Kunj in Lower Kurram, security personnel, paramilitary Frontier Constabulary, and local police were stationed at the trenches.
The truce covered Ghozgahri, Matasangar, Maqbal, Gidu, Pewar, and Kunj Alizai in Upper Kurram.
According to officials, armed men from both factions are still in their trenches despite the ceasefire, and two people were hurt in Pewar, while the situation in Upper Kurram is still precarious.
Kundi-Gandapur conflict
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi are embroiled in a political disagreement.
The CM criticized Governor Kundi’s announcement on December 5 of a multi-party conference to address the Kurram problem.
Mr. Gandapur asserted that Mr. Kundi lacked the right to call a multi-party conference, stating that he was the elected chief executive of the province and that it was his responsibility to do so.
In addition to calling for elders from both communities to identify individuals causing division, the chief minister blamed sectarian hatred for the turmoil in Kurram and vowed to take strong measures against those responsible.
Additionally, he gave law enforcement instructions to demolish bunkers and find those who are fostering sectarian strife and providing funds. In order to maintain peace and order, he claimed, he had also directed the deployment of two more paramilitary platoons.
Kurram Jirga
When Governor Kundi met with the Kurram grand jirga in Kohat on Sunday, he emphasized the importance of local Pakhtun political leaders and elders in promoting lasting peace.
“We know better than anyone else the agony of carrying dead bodies and injured Pakhtuns,” he said.
The governor warned against “sinister elements” upsetting unity and stated that he could stay in Kurram until lasting calm was restored. He promised to track down and punish anyone who incited unrest.
Other political figures also attended the jirga, which was held at the Commissioner House in Kohat. These included former MNA Sajid Hussain Tori, ANP leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain, PPP’s Syed Muhammad Ali Shah, National Democratic Movement’s Bushra Gohar, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Prof. Ibraheem, PML-N provincial president and Federal Minister for Safron Engineer Amir Muqam, and Qaumi Watan Party Provincial Chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao.
