December 18, 2007	Tuesday	Zilhaj 7, 1428

PESHAWAR, Dec 17: After a brief let-up in clashes, the situation started deteriorating in the Kurram tribal region about a month ago as rival militant outfits began flexing their muscles.

“There is no government in the agency. Residents are facing shortage of food items and petrol, but authorities are making no effort to bring normality to the area,” a worried resident told Dawn by telephone.

“Roads are blocked, markets are shut and educational institutions and offices have been closed indefinitely,” he added.

Since the imposition of curfew in Parachinar on Nov 16 and deployment of security forces in sensitive parts of the agency, warring groups have been kidnapping people. At least 20 people have been kidnapped from the Thall-Sadda Road and the main Parachinar town, apparently as a response to the kidnapping of seven drivers of one of the warring groups.

Reports said that tensions were high and armed groups had taken up positions on hilltops.

Local people said that over 200 families had shifted from the Parachinar town to Peshawar and other areas after their houses were destroyed during riots. About 100 shops were gutted in the conflict.

People are still moving away from different areas of the agency because of the lawlessness. A large number of people, on the other hand, are stranded in Peshawar and other cities after the roads in the agency were closed down for traffic.

Sources said that local tribes had raised militant outfits that had set up checkpoints on highways and link roads. The Thall-Parachinar road is blocked for the last 30 days, creating serious shortages of foodstuff, medicine and other essential commodities.

“People are now relying on import of food from Afghanistan to meet their basic needs,” said Gul Zaman, a shopkeeper.

People in Parachinar fear the possibility of the involvement of foreign militants in the coming days. They fear that segments of the Afghan government opposed to Islamabad might exploit the situation to destabilise the security situation in Pakistan.

Sources said that tribesmen had been receiving signals from across the border, assuring them of assistance and support.

Kurram Agency, once a weapons-free area in Fata, is now full of people openly displaying heavy weapons. Sources said that tribesmen of the Upper Kurram Agency had raised four armed groups to respond to the militant groups in the Lower Kurram Agency.

Sources said a jirga comprising elders of the Hangu and Orakzai agencies had failed to broker a peace deal between the warring groups.

Security Secretary for Fata Shakeel Qadir told this correspondent on Monday that tribal elders had agreed to sign an agreement, but there were some elements who were trying to create a deadlock. “We are optimistic that normality will return to the area very soon,” he said.