Islamabad, Jan 4 (IANS) The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Kurram District of Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province was critically injured as his vehicle came under attack in Mandoori, Kojalai Baba village near Bagan, on Saturday.
The incident took place three days after the rival sectarian tribes of Shia and Sunni Muslims signed a 14-point peace agreement that was supposed to pave the way for a ceasefire in the region devastated by violence for over two months now.
The peace deal was supposed to finally see the arrival of humanitarian aid in the region which has been cut off from the entire country for over 88 days, resulting in deaths of more than 150 people, including women and children, due to lack of food supplies and non-availability of medicines.
However, the 75-truck convoy with aid supplies for the suffering residents of the district capital of Parachinar could not move due to the closure of the Thall-Parachinar Sadda highway and firing on DC Kurram Javaid Ullah Mehsud and two other security personnel on Saturday.
“The critically injured Deputy Commissioner was to be airlifted to Peshawar but the helicopter had to return due to bad weather. Three bullets hit Mehsud while he was trying to negotiate with protesters who were unwilling to open the road. We suspect the involvement of local criminals in the attack,” said a source in the KP government.
“DC has been shot three times, on shoulder and legs and suffered loss of blood. He will be shifted to Thall Hospital from Alizai soon. Three other people were also brought to the hospital, including police constable Misal Khan and Frontier Corps soldiers Rahimullah and Rizwan,” he confirmed.
KP government’s advisor Barrister Saif later informed that Mehsud was out of danger.
“The surgery is taking place right now, but his condition is stable,” said Saif.
He stated that the convoy of trucks will soon resume its journey to Parachinar and called on both Shia and Sunni groups to not believe in any rumours.
“We are appealing to both Sunni and Shia communities to remain calm and not fall victim to any conspiracies. The attack on the convoy is part of a malicious plot to make Kurram suffer more,” he said.
The firing incident has also been strongly condemned by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, who expressed serious concern over the incident.
“The elements behind this act of violence aim to create chaos and disrupt peace efforts in the region,” he said in a statement.
As reported by IANS, locals in the Kurram district have refused to end their protest, maintaining that they would continue the sit-in until all roads are opened and made safe for travel.
“This is not the first time that a peace agreement has been signed. They took over two weeks to sign the agreement, being completely ignorant to the suffering of the people of the area, who are forced to live without food supplies, medicines and basic necessities. 150 people have died because the hospitals did not have medicines to treat them. Who is responsible for this?”, a resident of Parachinar told IANS.
“Shia and Sunni conflict has been going on for decades here. People have been slaughtered by rival tribes in ambushed attacks many times and every time they end up signing the so-called peace agreements. This time also, a peace agreement has been signed. But no progress is seen on ground as far as opening of routes and supplies is concerned. Our families are dying here every day because of starvation and medical issues,” he added.
The sectarian conflict in Parachinar started in the last week of November when a bus was attacked, resulting in the death of over 47 Shia Muslims. In retaliation, Shia militant groups carried out attacks on Sunni villages, brutally killing over 150 people. Since then, the tribal region has been blocked from the rest of the country.
Even as long deliberations and discussions were being held to establish peace, the delay pushed Parachinar residents into severe misery with over 150 people dying in hospitals due to shortage of medicines. Educational institutions have also remained shut due to security concerns and there has been no movement of public transports. The border with Afghanistan has also remained closed due to security concerns.
Local authorities and members of the peace Jirga, or tribal court, have been assuring that after the signing of peace deal, delivery of food and essential goods to Parachinar city, Bushahra and over 100 villages will begin soon.
“Medicines have already been sent to Parachinar by a welfare organisation and similar supplies are also being sent to other affected areas,” said Deputy Commissioner Javed Ullah Mehsud.
Roads in Kurram have been blocked for over 88 days now and the only link road that leads to Parachinar has also been closed due to security concerns.
Citing past instances, locals fear that the peace deal may not materialise because it involves surrendering of all illegal weapons and demolition of bunkers of both Shia and Sunni tribes.
“We welcome the agreement but also know that such agreements in the past have been thrown in the dustbin with a single incident. The Shia and Sunni tribes have been fighting each other for far too long and that they will continue to do so in the future also. I do not think they will surrender their weapons and weaken their firepower,” said Saifullah, a protesting resident of Parachinar.
“All we want is our right to live. We do not want to see our children dying in homes and hospitals for lack of medicines and treatment. We want our children to go to schools and colleges, we do not want our families to spend days without food, we do not want our shops and businesses to shut down. This is why we will not end our protest until full peace, security and normalcy is restored in the region,” he added.
–IANS
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