Weapons Surrendered in Kurram as Peace Efforts Continue

PARACHINAR: As initiatives to reinstate enduring stability in the district progress, tribal elders in Lower and Upper Kurram voluntarily relinquished a substantial quantity of heavy weaponry on Saturday.

In the initial phase, leaders from Lower and Upper Kurram turned over a significant cache of heavy arms to government representatives.

Deputy Commissioner Kurram, Ashfaq Ahmed, stated that these actions are being implemented under the Kohat peace accord, which also resulted in the dismantling of approximately one thousand fortified positions previously held by opposing factions. The voluntary disarmament process is slated to extend to various other regions within the district in the coming period.

The deputy commissioner further noted that, in conjunction with the disarmament, the administration is dedicated to the restoration of roads that have been closed and is undertaking multiple initiatives to alleviate the difficulties faced by the populace impacted by prolonged periods of instability.

Tribal figures Zamin Hussain and Abdul Manan conveyed their unwavering support to the government in its efforts to uphold peace. They also appealed to officials to accelerate the reopening of transit routes and to provide essential support to the local residents who have suffered due to the protracted state of insecurity.

Kurram, home to over 600,000 people and situated near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, has historically been plagued by sectarian conflict. Recent months have witnessed an upsurge in tensions, with clashes resulting in over 200 fatalities since July.

These recent confrontations have deepened an existing humanitarian crisis in the region, resulting in alarmingly low supplies of medication and oxygen due to the sustained obstruction of the primary highway connecting Parachinar and Peshawar.

Reports indicate that potentially more than 100 children may have died because of a critical scarcity of medical provisions, assertions refuted by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Saif.

A grand peace jirga was assembled at Kohat Fort with the objective of arbitrating negotiations between the conflicting tribal groups within the violence-affected district. Following several days of discussions, in January 2025, the two adversarial tribes formalized a peace treaty consisting of 14 provisions focused on establishing peace in the locality.

The painstakingly achieved agreement encountered a considerable setback when Assistant Commissioner Saeed Manan, while mediating to cease renewed hostilities between opposing sides in Kurram, sustained injuries along with two others during a shooting incident in February.

Through consistent endeavors by law enforcement agencies, stability was reinstated, and critical provisions recommenced flowing into Kurram, which had been isolated from the remainder of the nation for several months.

As a component of the endeavors to establish peace, a series of bunkers were eliminated in the upper and lower sectors of Kurram in the preceding month. The undertaking to dismantle tribal bunkers was initiated subsequent to the peace accord.