HRCP calls for urgent action on Kurram crisis

Islamabad:The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) calls urgent attention to the situation in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where prolonged tribal and sectarian conflict have led to scores of casualties and left hundreds injured.

In a press conference organised at National Press Club on Thursday, the said that the alarming frequency of clashes between rival tribes and sects has effectively isolated the district from the rest of the province as a result of road blockades put in place to contain the situation, compounded by suspension of cellular services.

The speakers said that regrettably, such measures have failed consistently to bring any relief and have instead periodically cut off residents’ access to food, fuel and medical supplies. Schools have also had to close intermittently, while in several cases, the blockades have led to the deaths of sick children and elderly persons who did not receive medical attention in time. Despite a ceasefire agreed to between rival groups in June 2023 and again in October and several jirgas involving tribal elders and the authorities, they said that Kurram remains wrecked by violence. An estimated 49 people were killed and at least 190 injured during the conflict in July this year. In September, another 21 people were killed, according to press reports. At least 11 people were killed in October, reportedly including women and children.

The speakers expressed concern over reports that armed, trained fighters may have been involved in the violence—this allegation must be taken seriously and investigated. “The fact that local rival groups clearly have access to heavy weaponry indicates that the state has been unable to control the flow of arms into this region.”

They said that the protracted trauma and violence to which Kurram’s residents have been subjected for over a year must not become the new normal—it has already reached the proportions of a humanitarian crisis. "The state would do well to heed the call of local ‘peace marches’ held by weary residents desperate for an end to the conflict.

The state has a duty to protect their right to life and security, to ensure that the perpetrators of violence are traced and held to account, and to involve all stakeholders in serious negotiations to bring an end to the conflict."