Ceasefire reached in Pakistan's Kurram after days of clashes

PESHAWAR:  A ceasefire agreement has been reached between two warring tribes in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province following days of clashes between them that killed 130 people in the volatile Kurram district.

Deputy Commissioner Kurram Javedullah Mehsud confirmed on Sunday that peace has been established across the conflict zones in the restive Kurram district.

The clashes between Alizai and Bagan tribes in the district started on November 22, after an attack on a convoy of passenger vans near Parachinar in which 47 people were killed a day earlier. Several passengers who had sustained grave injuries succumbed later, raising the toll in the convoy killing to 57.

The death toll from the violence surged to 130, with at least six people killed and eight injured on Sunday, as clashes in the volatile Kurram district continued for the eleventh consecutive day.

The district administration finally succeeded in arranging a lasting ceasefire on Sunday between two warring tribes engaged in a lethal gunfight, Mehsud said.

In the statement, the Deputy Commissioner on Sunday said that the jirga (council of the tribal leaders) would speak to elders to reopen roads and sign a peace agreement.

Armed tribesmen were removed from the firing posts while police and forces have been deployed in the region, Mehsud said.

The latest spell of violence, which continued for the 11th consecutive day, has claimed at least 130 lives and injured 186.

The recent episode of clashes began eight days ago with ambushes on two separate convoys under police escort. Since then, violence between the warring clans has escalated, with police struggling to maintain control.

The Kurram region is facing a communication blackout, with mobile and internet services suspended and educational institutions closed.

The closure of the main highway has not only disrupted local transportation but also caused a complete suspension of trade with Afghanistan, particularly at the Kharlachi border.

Kohat division elders and Parliamentarians would visit Kurram district to ensure a peace agreement between the warring tribes.

Previous efforts to mediate peace, including a seven-day and ten-day truce brokered by provincial officials in November, have failed to hold.

A high-powered delegation, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry and IGP Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, had also negotiated a ceasefire last weekend, but violence resumed shortly afterwards.

A day earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur emphasised the need for establishing peace in the area and ordered authorities to demolish dugouts of rival tribes and seize their weapons.

The provincial chief executive issued the directives during a grand jirga, organised in Kohat district on Sunday which was attended by elders of the rival tribes.