Dwellers suffer as road closure in Kurram enters 16 days

PARACHINAR: The people of the volatile Kurram district are facing a host of problems due to the closure of transportation routes for the past sixteen days.

“Millions of residents have been severely affected and virtually remained stranded for over two weeks, while 11 persons, including eight children, reportedly lost their lives due to lack of medical care,” sources in local hospital and district administration said on Sunday.

They said a young child died in Parachinar due to the lack of medical treatment.

Dr Mir Hassan Jan, the medical superintendent of Parachinar Hospital, confirmed that six children admitted to the hospital had died.

Due to the closure of the Parachinar-Peshawar main highway, essential supplies like fuel, food and medicine have run out in Parachinar, Boshehra, and villages near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Meanwhile, a trade leader, Nazir Ahmad, said that an attempt was made to deliver food supplies to Parachinar through a convoy, during which a truck loaded with flour was looted in the lower part of Kurram district.

Officials of district administration said that the routes were closed due to security concerns following attacks on passenger vehicles within the convoy. They said that peace committee members were negotiating to bring the situation back to normal.

The clashes over land disputes have been a longstanding issue in the region, often resulting in loss of lives and disruptions to daily life.

Local elders and political figures have urged for a peaceful resolution to the conflicts and stressed the need for restoration of lasting peace in the region.