Warring Kurram tribes told to surrender arms by Feb 1
Khyber Pakthunkhwa apex committee reviews situation in area, orders conditional opening of main road.
PESHAWAR: The Provincial Apex Committee at a meeting here on Friday reviewed the prevailing situation in district Kurram and finalized a strategy to address the crisis on permanent basis.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and attended, among others, by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, provincial members Aftab Alam, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif and Muzammil Aslam, Corps Commander Peshawar Lt. Gen. Omer Ahmed Bukhari, Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry and Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur.
It was decided that both the sides involved in the Kurram conflict will voluntarily surrender their weapons under an agreement to be facilitated by the government. A plan for de-weaponization is to be submitted within 15 days by both the conflicting parties, and all weapons must be handed over to civil administration by February 1, 2025.
Additionally, all bunkers in the area will be demolished within same time frame. The meeting decided that on humanitarian grounds road connectivity of the area will be temporarily reopened with intervals with strict security protocols in place and joint security for convoys will be provided by police and Frontier Corps (FC).
Moreover, air service will also be started on an emergency basis to address the transportation issue of the general public for which helicopters would be provided by federal and provincial governments.
The forum urged both the parties to avoid any violent act otherwise the administration will be left with no option but to close the road connectivity again. Similarly, it was also decided to block all social media accounts spreading sectarian hatred in the region.
