Kurram schools open as peace returns after jirga-brokered ceasefire
KURRAM: After days of violent clashes which left around 100 people dead, some semblance of peace returned to the restive district as educational institutions opened on Monday.
According to Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mahsud, all schools and colleges reopened in the district following a ceasefire brokered by a jirga.
Cellular services, which were suspended after clashes broke out last month, have also been resumed.
Despite the ceasefire, the main highway linking Parachinar in upper Kurram with the provincial capital Peshawar was still closed for traffic, a local told Dawn.
Cellular services resume after 11 days, main road connecting Parachinar with rest of Kurram still closed; jirga to start talks for lasting solution
The ambush of a convoy of vehicles on November 21, in which around 40 people were killed, took place on the highway. The road has been closed to traffic since then.
The local told Dawn that the main road was used by vehicular convoys on only ten of the past 50 days.
The closure of roads created an acute shortage of edible items and other daily-use items in the district.
Kurram DC Mahsud has said warring sides have vacated the trenches — used to attack each other — which have been occupied by security forces and police.
Jirga meets CM
Meanwhile, a grand jirga constituted by the provincial government to resolve the clashes met Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Monday.
The meeting agreed to initiate formal negotiations to address the dispute and restore durable peace in the district.
During the meeting, the jirga members assured their full cooperation with the provincial government and expressed commitment to resolving the issue through peaceful means.
The jirga is expected to visit Kurram in the coming days to initiate the dialogue.
Prominent members of the jirga included former federal minister Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, former senators Saleh Shah and Sajad Khan, former federal minister Ghazi Gulab Jamal, former KP governor Engineer Shaukatullah, and Senator Abdul Raziq and others.
Advisor to KP CM Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif was also present in the meeting.
CM Gandapur thanked the jirga members for their support and assured them that the provincial government would provide all necessary assistance and resources to facilitate the negotiation process. He expressed hope that the jirga’s efforts would lead to a peaceful and lasting solution to the dispute in Kurram.
Last week, the KP CM ordered security forces to carry out indiscriminate action against “militants” in Kurram.
He had ordered security forces to dismantle the bunkers and requested the federal government to deploy additional platoons of paramilitary Frontier Constabulary to maintain peace.
Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2024