- Measures being taken under peace agreement, says deputy commissioner.
- Tribal leaders assure full cooperation to government to maintain peace.
- Leaders urge authorities to expedite efforts to reopen travel routes.
PARACHINAR: Heavy weapons were surrendered by the elders in Lower and Upper Kurram voluntarily on Saturday as efforts to restore lasting peace to the district continue, The News reported.
Elders from Lower and Upper Kurram handed over a significant quantity of heavy arms to the authorities in the first phase.
Deputy Commissioner Kurram Ashfaq Ahmed said these measures were being taken under the peace agreement signed in Kohat, which also led to the demolition of around one thousand bunkers established by rival groups. The voluntary handover of weapons would continue across different areas of the district in the coming days.
The deputy commissioner added that alongside disarmament, the government was working on reopening closed roads and taking various steps to provide relief to the public affected by years of unrest.
Speaking to the media on the occasion, tribal leaders Zamin Hussain and Abdul Manan assured full cooperation to the government to maintain peace. They also urged the authorities to expedite efforts to reopen travel routes and offer much-needed relief to the local population suffering from the prolonged insecurity.
Kurram, a district of more than 600,000 residents near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, has long been a hotspot for sectarian violence. But recent months have seen escalating tensions, with clashes since July to date leaving over 200 people dead.
The recent clashes exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in the district, with medicine and oxygen supplies running critically low due to the prolonged closure of the main highway linking Parachinar to Peshawar.
Reports suggest that over 100 children may have died from a severe shortage of medicine, though Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Saif has denied these claims.
A grand peace jirga was convened at Kohat Fort to mediate talks between the warring tribes of the violence-hit district. After days-long negotiations, the two warring tribes in January 2025 signed a peace agreement containing 14 points aimed at establishing peace in the area.
However, the hard-won agreement suffered a major setback when Assistant Commissioner Saeed Manan, who was mediating to halt fresh clashes between warring sides in Kurram, was injured along with two others in a firing incident in February.
After sustained effort by law enforcers, peace was restored, and essential supplies also started coming into Kurram, which was cut off from the rest of the country for months.
As part of the peace efforts, a number of bunkers were demolished in the upper and lower parts of Kurram last month. The process of dismantling tribal bunkers began after the peace agreement.
