Negotiations for peace in Kurram continue

PARACHINAR: The two separate jirgas continued negotiations to bring peace to Kurram on Sunday as the main Peshawar-Parachinar Highway and other routes remained closed despite ceasefire in the volatile district.

Sources said the provincial government-led jirga postponed the meeting for Monday as some of the elders failed to make it to the event. The officials said both sides had agreed to the ceasefire and steps would be discussed to implement the decisions.

Sources said that the Pakhtun Qaumi Jirga, comprising representatives from various tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, had been engaged in dialogue with elders in Kurram for the past six days.

Talking to reporters, members of the jirga, including Mufti Kifayatullah, Malik Naseer Kukikhel Shakur Khan and Hamid Sherani said the first round of talks completed successfully. They said that they would continue the second round of talks in Sadda today.

The continued closure of roads, after the incidents of firing on passenger convoys and subsequent clashes, has created a numerous problem for the people.

Essential supplies such as food, fuel, and medicine have run out, leaving residents in dire straits.