Daily Times

A jirga between the participants of a long march on main Parachinar-Peshawar highway and district administration on Saturday proved fruitful as the protestors called off their sit-in and cleared the road. Tribal elder Jalal Bangash on the occasion told media persons that both the sides have agreed to make the highway safer for road users adding that a sit-in at Samir point has been called off. He said in the first phase, the movement of vehicles on the highway will only be allowed in a caravan position adding that the highway will reopen from next week. Bangash said the Jirga members also agreed upon installation of CCTV cameras and additional check posts on the highway to ensure security of the road users. It merits a mention here that the highway was closed by the Deputy Commissioner on 12th October, last after multiple incidents of firing on the passenger and private vehicles. The main highway closure had badly affected the life routine in Kurram and adjacent areas where people remained confined to their homes and faced an acute shortage of daily use items including petroleum products. Schools in the area also remained closed due to the security situation and scarcity of fuels for vehicles to pick and drop the students.