Daily Times

In the wake of armed skirmishes between rival tribes that started over the ownership of a piece of land in Kurram district, the main Parachinar-Thall Road remained closed for the ninth consecutive day, causing severe disruption in daily life routine where a shortage of edibles, petroleum and medicines has further added to the miseries of locals. The main road closure has aggravated the situation in the area as according to local people, those going abroad or other big cities’ hospitals and for interviews of Public Service Commission have been stranded bearing financial losses and jeopardizing their career. The locals also decry shortage of edibles, petroleum products and medicines in the district due to the closure of main Thall-Parachinar Road. They said though educational institutions in the district have been reopened however, due to petrol and diesel shortage, the students and teaching staff were unable to reach their destinations. The government employees were also confined in the district as no transport facility was there to take them to their offices in other districts. The local markets and bazaars were giving a deserted look as a state of fear still prevailed in the area and people were reluctant to go out of their homes. The area farmers were also faced with a difficult situation, saying that they were facing huge financial losses as their products could not reach the main markets due to the road closure. The local vegetables and fruits were being sold at the lowest price in the district. Police said armed clashes between the rival tribes in the district caused closure of main Parachinar-Peshawar Road and other link roads adding that to avert recurrence of any clash the road was closed for the ninth consecutive day. The roads inside Parachinar and leading towards Pak-Afghan border also remained closed while the main Kharlachi Border was non-functionals for the last nine days.