Hassan Turi
The district of Kurram, in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region, has been under siege for the past three months due to the closure of the main Thal-Parachinar Road, a key route connecting the region to the rest of the country. Besieged communities in the district have been facing severe shortages of essential supplies, including food and medicine.
The road has been closed since late November, when sectarian violence broke out in Kurram. The first three days of fighting killed more than 80 people.
A series of sit-ins were organized across the country, including in Karachi, to show solidarity with rival sects. Similarly, a delegation of Pashtun elders, formed during the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM)’s October national jirga, visited the district and held meetings with elders from the rival Sunni and Shia tribes. However, the delegation returned without achieving any fruitful results.
Recently, the government succeeded in signing a fragile peace agreement between the warring tribes after weeks of bloodshed that claimed around 130 lives, raising cautious hopes for stability in this historically volatile region.
Authorities had placed their hopes on a government-protected convoy scheduled for January 4. The convoy was tasked with delivering essential supplies to the besieged communities. Its successful passage was expected to provide much-needed relief and signal the possibility of reopening the road for future movement – a critical lifeline for the region.
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