August 16, 2008	Saturday	Sha'aban 13, 1429

PARACHINAR, Aug 15: After another 35 people were killed in fierce clashes in the Kurram tribal agency, the government on Friday set a 72-hour deadline for warring factions to stop fighting and warned them of ‘strong action’ if the bloodshed continued.

Talking to reporters at the Governor’s House, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said that rival factions must cooperate with the authorities in restoring peace.

“I am warning them to lay down arms and remain peaceful or face action,” said Mr Malik, adding that the government was taking steps to restore peace in the troubled region and peacefully resolve disputes among the tribes.

The adviser also held a meeting with tribal parliamentarians and sought their support for stopping violence in the region.

An MNA from Fata told Dawn that parliamentarians from the Kurram region held the government and law-enforcement agencies responsible for the bloodshed. “We asked the adviser to take swift action and use full force to quell the unrest and punish the lawbreakers,” he said.

Meanwhile, sources said that clashes were continuing in different parts of the Kurram valley bordering Afghanistan, with the warring tribes using missiles, mortars and rockets. Some outsiders were also taking part in the fighting.

The death toll in the clashes has reached 200. Several bodies have been brought to the areas of Thall, Hangu, Dowaba and Orakzai. The injured were taken to hospitals in Bagun, Alizai, Sadda, Shashu and Parachinar.

Twenty-five people, including children, have died because of shortage of life-saving drugs and absence of doctors in hospitals.