Saif hails CM for new Kurram peace deal

Says warring tribes have come to an agreement to secure the highways in restive district

PESHAWAR:

The provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has so far removed over 900 bunkers made in the restive Kurram while the warring tribes have also come to an agreement to secure the highways traversing the district, K-P Chief Minister Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said on Saturday.

Tribal leaders in Kurram district on Saturday came to terms on an eight-month peace agreement ahead of Eidul Fitr. According to a press release issued by the jirga that inked the agreement, tribal elders gathered in Qila Abbas Saddar to restore regional peace.

The statement said the Shia leaders of Alizai and the Sunni leaders of Bagan agreed to a peace treaty to restore peace and establish tolerance in the area through mutual consultation."

"The representatives of both sects agreed on establishing a peace treaty for a period of eight months to prevent any kind of conflict in the area and to try to improve the situation," it added.

According to Saif, the efforts of K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to bring peace to the troubled district have started yielding results. He clarified that the deal to secure highways in Kurram is part of an earlier peace agreement signed by conflicting parties in Kohat last year.

He said the primary objective of the agreement is to ensure the security of the Tall-Parachinar Highway. "As part of the Kohat Peace Agreement, Kurram is being cleared of bunkers and weapons. After the bunkers' removal, the process of surrendering weapons will begin," he said.

Saif said eliminating bunkers and weapons is essential for lasting peace in Kurram. "This is why Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is personally overseeing all developments," he said.