For more than three and a half months, over 100 villages in Upper and Lower Kurram, including the district headquarters of Parachinar, have been under siege—cut off from essential supplies and caught in an unrelenting cycle of violence. Tensions in the region escalated dramatically after a brutal attack on a convoy traveling from Peshawar to Parachinar on November 21, 2024, which claimed the lives of 50 people, including women and children. Despite multiple peace agreements, the main highway to Parachinar remains closed, leaving thousands of residents struggling for food and medical aid. Local elders blame the ongoing unrest on the volatile, porous border with Afghanistan, which they say has turned into a hub of instability. Some call for reconciliation, urging both sides to move past historical grievances to restore peace. Security Crackdown and Mass Displacement In Lower Kurram, security forces and police have launched a crackdown on militants, imposing a curfew in affected areas. Officials report that at least 20 families have been forced to flee their homes, with many seeking refuge in Hangu or with relatives elsewhere. Meanwhile, a large-scale clearance operation, approved by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, is in full swing in Bagan and surrounding areas. Law enforcement agencies, alongside the civil administration, are targeting militant strongholds, with temporary displacement camps set up for affected residents. A Community in Crisis The blockade has left Kurram’s residents in dire straits, with acute shortages of food, medicine, and basic necessities. A convoy of relief goods is expected to be dispatched in the coming days, but for many, survival remains a daily struggle. Adding to the devastation, at least 400 shops and hundreds of homes were reduced to ashes in riots following the November convoy attack. Those who lost their livelihoods and shelter are still waiting for compensation, while a protest sit-in on the Talpara-Chinar Highway in Manduri continues, demanding financial assistance. Despite a peace deal brokered by the Grand Jirga, Kurram Peace Committee, and local peace groups, the district remains on edge, teetering between uneasy truces and the ever-present threat of renewed violence. The people of Kurram are caught in a conflict they did not choose—how much longer will their cries for peace go unheard?