• Place bodies of slain young men on the road, demand killers’ arrest
• Kukikhel elder detained after being summoned for meeting by local police
• Ex-minister sees foreign involvement behind unrest

KURRAM / KHYBER: Tribesmen on Tuesday held a protest along with the bodies of two passengers, who were killed in the Bagan area of Lower Kurram two days ago.

It may be mentioned that a sit-in against the lawlessness and closure of roads in Kurram district is already under way and entered its fifth day on Tuesday.

The bodies of Ishaq Hussain and Waseem Hussain, both residents of Parachinar, were found in the Bagan area with their throats slit, and handed over to the relatives earlier in the day. The tribesmen placed the bodies on the road and held a demonstration against the killings. They demanded immediate action against the killers.

Giving details of the incident, tribal leader Jalal Bangash quoted the relatives of the deceased, who were going to Parachinar from Peshawar, as saying that some people from the rival side, who were friends of the victims, had promised to provide them with safe passage to their areas. In return, they received Rs70,000 from them and yet they were killed, Mr Bangash deplored.

On Nov 21, a convoy came under attack in the Bagan area, in which at least 50 passengers were killed. The attack triggered fierce clashes in Kurram, in which scores of people have been killed so far. Since then, all roads in the district, including Parachinar Highway, remain closed to traffic.

The protesters demanded immediate re-opening of the Peshawar-Parachinar High­way, terming the situation “cruelty to millions of people”. They also castigated the provincial government which had claimed that the road could be opened in half an hour.

Kukikhel elder detained

Meanwhile, Jamrud police in a surprise move took into custody prominent Kukikhel elder Malak Naseer Ahmad, prompting the Kukikhel tribesmen to block the Peshawar-Torkham Highway in protest.

Sources in Jamrud said that Mr Ahmad, Malak Abdul Zahir Sher Khankhel and Saidgha Jan were called for a meeting with the DPO in the Shah Kas area. However, as soon as the meeting ended, the three men were arrested.

They said that the three men were then shifted to an unknown location. Though the exact reason behind their arrest could not be immediately known as the police had not released any statement in this regard, it was learnt that police had nominated Mr Ahmad along with over a dozen other Kukikhel tribesmen in an FIR registered against them after a protest demonstration, which was staged in October for the return of the Kukikhel displaced families to Tirah.

The Jamrud police nominated Malak Naseer Ahmad in another FIR for his alleged participation in the Pakhtun grand jirga organised by the proscribed Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement in October where he allegedly made anti-state speeches. The police nominated Saidgha Jan in a separate FIR accusing him of breaking into the Jamrud grid station, threatening the staff and forcibly switching off the power supply to commercial units.

Roads opening urged

In Islamabad, former federal minister Sajid Turi demanded the opening of roads in Kurram to avoid shortage of daily-use commodities.

Severe cold has hit the area and closure of routes has compounded people’s problems, he told reporters at the National Press Club, Islamabad.

Mr Turi said that air service and closure of roads were not a solution to the problem.

He dispelled the impression that Kurram unrest is an outcome of sectarian dispute and claimed that some foreign elements are involved in it. Anyone found involved in collusion with foreign elements should be exposed and taken to the task, he demanded. If the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments did not pay heed to the problem then they will also be free to act, Mr Turi warned.

Bakhtawar Mian in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2024