PESHAWAR / KURRAM: The solemnization of an agreement between the warring sides was delayed on Tuesday due to the absence of two representatives from Lower Kurram, which caused a snag in a Grand Jirga aimed at reaching a peace agreement that would result in the reopening of highways in restive Kurram.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s spokesperson, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, had stated a day earlier that they anticipated signing a peace agreement by Tuesday.
Two jirga members, who represent the Sunnis of Lower Kurram, were unable to attend the meeting, he claimed in an interview with Dawn on Tuesday.
The Upper Kurram side had previously signed the agreement, according to Barrister Saif, and both parties had accepted its key provisions. He asserted that signing a formal agreement was only a formality that would be completed when the parties met today (Wednesday).
Upper Kurram has already signed an agreement, according to Barrister Saif, who anticipates the final contract being formally signed today.
Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud informed Dawn that former Senator Rashid Ahmed Khan, one of the representatives of Lower Kurram, was unable to attend because of the death of a close relative, reiterating the assertion that one side had already signed the agreement.
According to the official, the Kurram peace plan has already been signed by the Upper Kurram side. The two parties will reconvene on Wednesday at 11 a.m. to finalize the deal.
Parachinar jirga member Malik Saeed Asghar told Dawn that although they had already signed the peace deal, they will reconvene on Wednesday because the other side was not present in full on Tuesday.
Barrister Saif had stated a day earlier that after the agreement, all sides would have to give up their weapons and destroy their bunkers before the routes leading to Parachinar could be opened.
There is a serious shortage of food and other goods as a result of the main road that connects the district to the rest of the province being closed for several weeks.
Even though the Edhi Trust and other philanthropists have provided support and the government has airlifted supplies into the area, the situation for people who are still isolated from the rest of the nation is still grim.
In addition, despite the frigid weather, the protest against road closures is still going on outside the Parachinar Press Club.
During the sit-in, a peace poetry event was also planned, when poets shared their peace-related works. Similar demonstrations against the road closures are also taking place in the Sultan, Gosar, and Bagan regions.
A man was killed.
Separately, on Tuesday, a Punjabi guy was reported dead in Kurram’s Sadda market neighborhood.
Kurram police claim that some armed guys apprehended a traveler named Nadeem Hussain at Sadda Bazaar and cut his throat.
According to tehsil chairman Agha Muzammil Hussain and former federal minister Sajid Turi, this was the second such occurrence that took place despite a ceasefire agreement. They claimed that this second tragedy would not have occurred if the individuals responsible for the decapitation of two people in Lower Kurram a short time ago had been held accountable.
