Shortage of food, medicines: Parachinar residents ask govt to expedite relief efforts

PARACHINAR/HANGU: Though a convoy of vehicles carrying essential goods arrived in Kurram recently, the district is still facing the shortage of necessities and the residents asked the government to expedite the relief efforts to mitigate their sufferings.

The residents said that they were grappling with shortage of food, medicines, and daily essentials.

The closure of the roads has cut off Parachinar city, Boshehra, and over 100 villages in Upper Kurram. Essential supplies such as cooking oil, gas, and groceries are in short supply.

A local trader Imdad Ali said that while a limited supply of goods had arrived in Parachinar, the area required over 500 trucks of essential items to meet the demand.

Efforts have been made to tackle the crisis, with 10 trucks of relief goods delivered to Bagan in Lower Kurram, 30 trucks to Parachinar, and additional supplies sent to Boshehra, Maqbal, and Teri Mangal. However, these efforts fall short of meeting the growing needs of the population.

The Gawadar tribe in central Kurram has reported that over 200 families have been displaced due to unrest but have yet to receive any relief packages or support.

Kurram Deputy Commissioner Ashfaq Khan acknowledged the gravity of the situation and said that further convoys were being organized to deliver essential supplies. “Steps are being taken to resolve the difficulties faced by the people,” he added.

Meanwhile, the main road connecting Thall to Parachinar remained blocked for the seventh consecutive day due to a sit-in in Mandori in Lower Kurram. The blockade has left over 40 vehicles stranded at Thall-Dooaba, awaiting clearance to deliver essential supplies to Kurram and Parachinar.

The region has been grappling with unrest for three months. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government dispatched a convoy to Parachinar and surrounding areas on January 8 as part of a relief initiative. However, 40 to 50 vehicles from the convoy carrying food and other supplies remained stuck in Thall-Dooaba.

Government sources said that another convoy may be dispatched within a day or two, as negotiations between Mandori protesters and senior officials, including GOC 9th Division Major General Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti and Kohat Division Commissioner Mohtasim Billah, were taking place.

Meanwhile, a separate protest was organized in Hangu demanded steps to restore peace in Kurram.

The protesters, led by Maulana Zafar-ur-Rehman and others, marched from Pakhta Shao Road to the Hangu Press Club, calling for urgent measures to address the ongoing violence in the region.