KURRAM -UNS: Ongoing fighting between two tribes over a piece of land in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram tribal district claimed two more lives on Tuesday, taking the total number of casualties to 11.
The clashes started five days ago in the Boshehra Dandar area and spread to other areas including Khar Kallay, Baleshkhel, Pewar, Gidu, Teri Mengal, Karman Para Chamkani, Maqbal and Kunj Alizai.
People in the affected areas are facing a persistent shortage of food items, medicine and fuel due to the blockade of roads. Educational institutions have been closed and normal life has also been hit.
A day earlier, protests were held in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and other areas of the country against the tense situation in Kurram.
People converge outside a hospital in Parachinar where injured are brought. — Photo by author
On Tuesday, clashes were reported in Pewar, Gidu, Baleshkhel, Khar Kallay, Sadda, Chamkani and Kunj Alizai. Kurram District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Medical Superintendent Dr Qaiser Abbas Banghash confirmed the updated death toll to Dawn.com, adding that 67 people had been injured in the clashes so far.
Meanwhile, Kurram Deputy Commissioner Syed Saiful Islam Shah stated that efforts were being made in cooperation with tribal elders to halt the clashes.
He said that ceasefire agreements had been made in place in various parts of the district but lamented that they were being violated.
Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sajid Hussain Turi said that he was personally taking part in negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire.
He said that Kohat Commissioner Muhammad Ali Shah and other police officials had also reached Parachinar. “We will soon restore peace in the area and armed forces will be posted in the war zones,” the minister said.
