Following the government’s efforts to ease tensions in Kurram, a ceasefire was agreed between the two warring tribes in the region on Sunday. The provincial government decided to constitute a high-powered commission to settle land disputes between the tribes in the Kurram district as 18 more people were killed in fresh clashes yesterday. The violence followed Thursday’s deadly attack, when a convoy of around 200 vehicles came under heavy gunfire in Kurram’s densely populated Bagan town, killing at least 64 people. The KP chief minister’s adviser on information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, in a statement issued today, said that a ceasefire was agreed for seven days between the tribes, both of which also decided to return each other’s dead bodies and prisoners. A government delegation met the members of the Shia tribe on Saturday before meeting the Sunni tribe leaders today, after which it returned to Peshawar, Barrister Saif said. Separately, while speaking to Reuters, Barrister Saif said that there were “positive developments in engagements with stakeholders”. Meanwhile, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, urging that the safety and security of citizens be ensured immediately. In a press release issued by the Media Cell Bilawal House, Chairman PPP stated, “On one hand, the Kurram district is burning in the fire of unrest, and on the other, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is absent from the scene.” He pointed out that in the last few days, 80 citizens had been killed in Kurram, and people are not even safe in their homes. “The government’s silence during this turmoil is tantamount to being an ally of the terrorists”, he said. Bilawal Bhutto emphasized that maintaining law and order is the primary responsibility of the provincial government, but the PTI-led provincial government has failed to protect the lives and property of the citizens. “We condemn the criminal negligence of the PTI government in Kurram.” He concluded by saying, “My heart is bleeding for the victims, and we cannot stand to see Khyber Pakhtunkhwa burn in the flames of lawlessness. The Pakistan Peoples Party will play its role in ensuring peace and order, not only in Kurram but across the entire province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” Bilawal Bhutto has also directed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to provide a detailed report on the situation in the Kurram district.