• One group seeks three more days to consult elders
• KP govt committed to resolving long-standing dispute, says CM’s adviser Barrister Saif

KOHAT: Efforts to finalise a peace agreement between two warring groups in Kurram district faced a delay on Saturday, as one group requested three more days to consult its elders.

The negotiations follow a series of official jirga sessions aimed at ending the violence that erupted after a passenger convoy was attacked on the Kohat-Parachinar highway on Nov 21. The incident triggered clashes that left over 130 people, including women and children, dead. The highway has remained closed since then.

A grand jirga convened in Kohat late on Saturday night, including local officials, former lawmakers and tribal elders, held multiple sessions but deferred the agreement.

Despite initial resistance from Kurram tribal elders, who had staged a sit-in and refused to participate, they later joined the jirga after their preconditions were accepted. These included a state-led operation to disarm the warring groups and destroy bunkers, as well as reopening the Kohat-Parachinar highway.

The jirga was attended, among others, by former MNAs Khayal Khan (from Kurram) and Pir Haider Ali Shah (from Hangu), tribal leaders Malik Noorjaf and Haji Ezzat Gul, Kohat Division Commissioner Motasim Billah and Regional Police Officer Abbas Majeed Marwat.

During the negotiations, one group voiced concerns to Pir Shah Nawaz, chairman of Kohat division’s Ulema committee, about the risk of renewed clashes. They demanded compensation for losses, including burnt shops and homes in the Bagan area.

Talking to Dawn on Saturday, Mr Nawaz expressed fear that arms may be transported to Kohat and Hangu. Kurram tribal leaders expressed fears that armed movement in the region could reignite conflict.

Last month’s attack on the convoy not only triggered violence but also led to riots in Bagan and Bacha Kot, where shops, houses and government buildings were set ablaze.

Protesters in Parachinar torched two police checkpoints and the unrest caused severe disruptions, including internet shutdowns, mobile service suspensions, school closures and shortages of medicine and food.

A fragile seven-day truce was reached on Nov 24 but collapsed four days later, leading to the resumption of fighting.

Dispute ‘nears resolution’

Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on information, said that only a few issues remain unresolved in addressing the long-standing Kurram conflict, the APP reported.

The Ahle Sunnat group has been granted two days for further consultations, after which talks will resume on Tuesday (tomorrow).

He said an agreement was expected to be signed following these consultations. In line with the apex committee’s directives, measures will be taken to dismantle bunkers and eliminate weapons from the area to ensure peace.

He said the KP government was determined to achieve a sustainable and permanent resolution to this century-old conflict.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2024