PESHAWAR:
Aid flights arrived in Parachinar city of Kurram district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Tuesday, where thousands of individuals are currently stranded due to tribal clashes that have resulted in over 200 fatalities since July.
Residents in certain areas of Kurram district, adjacent to Afghanistan, have reported shortages of food and medicine. This situation arises as the government faces challenges in resolving a renewed conflict between two tribes, rooted in longstanding disputes over farmland.
Sher Gul, the leader of the private welfare organisation Edhi, stated that they would operate multiple flights daily from the city of Peshawar to the valley for the remainder of the week, contingent upon weather conditions.
“We intend to transport approximately three wounded individuals on each flight… and provide medications for those injured,” he informed AFP.
Local officials report that tribal clashes in the Kurram district have resulted in 89 fatalities over the course of a week.
Multiple truces have been declared since the most recent escalation of hostilities commenced, as community elders from both factions engage in discussions to establish a sustainable resolution.
Currently, the government has closed essential roads leading to and from the district in an effort to reduce the violence, following an attack in November on a security convoy that was escorting residents, resulting in over 40 fatalities.
The mobile and internet services in the area are currently experiencing disruptions.
Kurram District: Mediators have successfully brokered a seven-day ceasefire agreement between the conflicting tribes.
Since November 21, there have been at least 133 fatalities and 177 injuries resulting from sporadic clashes in Parachinar.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported that 79 individuals lost their lives in the region from July to October.
The police have consistently faced challenges in managing violence in Kurram, a region that was formerly part of the semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas before its integration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018.
The ongoing conflict is typically reignited by disagreements regarding land in the challenging mountainous area, exacerbated by the underlying tensions between the rival tribes.
