Violent Kurram clashes enter 8th day
Despite hectic efforts on the part of the provincial government and district administration, armed clashes between warring factions continued on eighth day in the troubled Kurram tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.
As a result 10 people were injured bringing the total casualty figure to 48 dead and 115 injured.
According to deputy commissioner Kurram, ceasefire has been achieved in some areas, including Sada Balishkhel, Kharkilay and Sangeena, but violence persisted in other areas with continuous underway to control it.
According to police, the conflict began a week ago in the Boshahra area of Upper Kurrum over the construction of a fortified bunker between two families and has since spread throughout the district.
Educational institutions in Parachinar and the Kurram-Peshawar Road remain closed due to the unrest.
Similarly, the Pak-Afghan border crossing at Khalarchi also remains closed, causing shortages of food, fuel, and medicine in the conflict hit areas.
Private Schools Association Chairman Muhammad Hayat Khan reported that schools in the city and conflict-affected areas have been shut for a week, and 4G internet services are also suspended across the district.
MNA Hameed Hussain has urged the public to play their role in ending the turmoil and establishing peace.
Background
Kurram is one of the most violent tribal district of the province since the merger of the erstwhile Fata in K-P in 2018.
Earlier political agents enjoyed unlimited judicial and policing powers, eliminating the chances of large scale deadly conflicts in these districts.
Since the merger armed conflicts are widespread including violent ethnic clashes.
In May 2023, six schoolteachers were killed in a shooting at a school in the district shortly after another teacher was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in the upper Kurram area.
Police sources said that Muhammad Sharif was killed after unknown persons opened fire on a moving vehicle on Solozan Road. After the attack, armed men entered the Teri Mangal High School and killed six schoolteachers and a staff member.
The deceased teachers were identified as Mir Hussain, Jawad Hussain, Naveed Hussain, Jawad Ali, Muhammad Ali and Ali Hussain, all of whom belonging to the Turi Bangash tribe.
The teachers were performing examination duties at that time.
The teachers were inside the staffroom when unknown assailants opened fire on them. "The students inside the examination centre remained safe," Kohat's Education Board Chairperson Samina Altaf said.
"Board examinations have been deferred for an indefinite period in Parachinar for now," Altaf said, adding that the examinations in the rest of Kurram district and areas would be held as per schedule.
Emergency was declared at the hospitals across the district after the killing. Authorities closed schools in Parachinar as well as the transportation routes because of security concerns, local administration officials said.
Contradictory accounts were given about the motive for the killings. A statement from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister's office said it involved a property dispute, but the regional commissioner said sectarian antagonism appeared to be the cause.
"It is not clear whether the second incident [at the school] was a reaction to the first one," Commissioner Saiful Islam, told Reuters, adding security has been heightened in the area, as the situation became tense.