14-point truce

Kurram district signs peace deal after weeks of bloodshed, but questions remain on its lasting effectiveness.

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A moment of relief for the battered residents of Kurram district as a peace deal has been signed. Little is, however, known about the potency of the agreement reached between the feuding tribes, and how long it shall hold. The salient features of the accord hint at many firsts, attained after weeks of bloodshed and a loss of at least 150 lives.

The 14-point détente was able to see the light of day under the aegis of a Grand Jirga, and this simply confirms the deep-rooted genesis of a patriarchal society that is resisting the interference of modern statecraft to this day. The fact that law-enforcement agencies and the government apparatus took a backseat, enabling the local culture to prevail in restoring order, is a grim indicator of its fragility in the light of previous such agreements. While dozens of delegates from the warring sides participated in the week-long parleys, it comes as the only consolation that the ceasefire will prevail and the volatile region limp back to normalcy.

A glance at the deal, ironed out in Kohat, says that all parties will surrender heavy weapons to the government; no new bunkers will be constructed and the existing ones demolished; any party launching an offensive will be declared a terrorist act; commutation routes will be secured from miscreants; and locals will be responsible for peace in their areas. One of the most startling points is that providing refuge to terrorists has been outlawed, and the sectarian-ranted society has agreed to ban hate speech and provocative content, apart from authorising the government to hold violators accountable. It is also agreed that in line with the 2008 Murree Accord, all displaced families of the district will be resettled in their respective areas, and tagging a sectarian fervour to any future rifts would be avoided.

Given the bitter experience of yesteryears and the complexity of the region, implementing the deal is a collective responsibility. Parachinar and adjoining valleys have had enough of warmongering. If the locals desist from geopolitical temptations of being swayed away, the truce will surely have a chance to triumph.