- PM Shehbaz vows all stakeholders will maintain peace and such incidents will never happen again
- MWM stresses arrangements for dispatching more than 100 vehicles relief goods
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the situation in Kurram was “returning to normalcy,” expressing the hope that situation will further improved with arrival of 25 vehicles second convoy carrying relief goods in the restive district.
Chairing the federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday, PM Shahbaz stated, “All stakeholders will maintain peace,” adding that such incidents will never happen again.
He further said, “Bunkers, which were once established, have been demolished,” adding that food and other supplies were being delivered to the residents of the district.
The decades-old land-turned-tribal disputes have claimed at least 130 lives since November last and have caused severe shortage of food and medicine shortages in the area due to weeks-long road blockades.
Following a peace agreement between the warring sides in Kurram district, security forces and the district administration began demolishing bunkers in Lower Kurram using explosives, while the residents of Parachinar observed a shutter-down strike on Monday to protest the prolonged closure of roads.
Separately, a convoy of 45 vehicles carrying food and other necessities was dispatched to the district, according to Kurram Deputy Commissioner Ashfaq Ahmed. He said that various steps were underway to provide relief to the people, including the reopening of roads.
According to Parachinar trade union leader Nazir Ahmed, 20 vehicles from the convoy were sent back while 25 vehicles reached central Kurram and were moving towards upper Kurram.
Young Doctors Association leader Zulfiqar Ali said that medical stores and private hospitals had been closed due to a shortage of medicines.
Meanwhile, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM-P) MNA Hameed Hussain said in a statement that 45 trucks were not enough for millions of people, adding that “arrangements should be made to dispatch more than 100 vehicles.”
Last week, a convoy of 40 vehicles carrying food and other necessities was dispatched to the district after being stalled in Thall for five days, according to government officials.
KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif emphasized that the restoration of peace and order in the region was a “top priority” for the provincial government and that all necessary measures were being taken to fulfill the needs of the affected people.
