Daily Times

Key Pak-Afghan border crossing at Kharlachi in Kurram district reopened on Tuesday, after it remained closed for nine days due to clashes near the border area, said border authorities.

Police said the clashes between rival tribes had stopped and peace restored in the area. Security forces and police personnel were deployed at key positions, they added. The border closure created immense troubles for the residents as food commodities, medicines, fuel and other items of daily use had gone scant.

It should be noted that following days of deadly clashes, the warring tribes had agreed to a ceasefire earlier as well that lasted for about a month.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, on September 27, said that at least 60 people had died and dozens others were injured as violence erupted once again in the region.

Speaking to the media, Governor Kundi had said: “As many as 60 people have died in Parachinar and dozens are injured.” The governor’s remarks came about a week after the second round of clashes began over construction of trenches and continued unabated for multiple days.

The dispute involved two rival tribes who had been fighting over a piece of land. In August, the two sides had reached a two-month ceasefire after the armed clashes resulted in 50 casualties and wounded 226 others.

Police had said that clashes had been reported at various places with the fighting resulting in the closure of the Peshawar-Parachinar road.

Due to the closure of roads and markets, people were facing severe difficulties, including scarcity of food items, medicines and fuel, The News had reported.

Private Schools Management Chairman Mohammad Hayat Khan, on September 27, said it had been one week since the educational institutes were shut down. Whereas, Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud had said measures were being taken to reopen routes and establish permanent peace by preventing the clashes with the help of the tribes’ elders and jirga members.

The clashes took place between the tribes in central Kurram and tribes in Balishkhel area, which intensified the violence and spread to Pewar, Teri Mangal, Kanj Alizai, Maqbal, Para Chamkani, Karman, Sadda, Balishkhel, Sangeena, Khar Killay and other areas.

Elders belonging to the Turi-Bangash tribes had called for immediate action from the authorities to resolve the issue amicably.

Meanwhile, separate jirgas of different tribes were convened that discussed ways and means to effect a ceasefire and restore a lasting peace in the area.

The elders had warned that if the district administration and other institutions failed to end the clashes, the tribes would take their own measures to restore peace.

Addressing a tribal jirga in Parachinar, tribal leaders Jalal Bangash, Engr Hamid Hussain, a Member of the National Assembly and parliamentary leader of the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), Malik Zaman Hussain and others had said that no one would benefit from the ongoing conflict and that a trivial issue between two families escalated into violent clashes due to the negligence of the administration and other responsible authorities.