Talks in Kohat: Breakthrough claimed as one group signs peace agreement

KOHAT: A major breakthrough was claimed on Saturday in the ongoing peace negotiations as the Grand Peace Jirga in Kohat made significant progress.

“All demands and proposals put forward have been accepted, and the Turi Bangash tribe has signed the agreement,” said Jalal Hussain Bangash, secretary of the Anjuman-e-Hussainia Association, in a statement after the talks. The second party, he said, was currently in the process of signing it, with the jirga expected to conclude by lunchtime tomorrow.

As part of the agreement, road supplies and other essential services would be restored soon, Jalal said and congratulated the people for showing resilience and thanked the tribal elders and youth for their role. Bangash lauded the participants of the protest sit-in who, he said, endured the harsh winter conditions in the struggle for their rights.

Meanwhile, protests against the closure of roads and blocked supply routes have been ongoing for the past nine days in Kurram.

The blocking of routes for the last two and a half months has led to severe shortage of food, water and daily necessities, leaving the population in Parachinar in a dire situation.

In Bagan also, people started staging protest to demand action against those responsible for creating disturbances and blocking supply routes. Following clashes and gunfire incidents, the main road between Peshawar and Parachinar, as well as routes to the Afghan border, have been closed for over two months, disrupting essential services such as gas and petroleum supplies. Over 100 villages in the district are severely affected by the shortage of daily goods, with residents facing extreme hardships. The closure has also led to issues for overseas Pakistanis whose visas and flight tickets are being invalidated, as well as for students who are unable to attend their educational institutions. Also, the critically ill patients are unable to travel to Peshawar or other hospitals for treatment.