Kurram traders demand compensation for losses

PARACHINAR: The shopkeepers and traders on Sunday staged a protest sit-in to demand compensation for the losses inflicted on them during crises and violence in the Bagan area in lower Kurram.

Setting a three-days to the government, the shopkeepers in Bagan area of lower Kurram said that they must compensate for the losses forthwith.Carrying placards and banners with slogans in favour of their demands, Kareem Khan and other leaders addressed the protestors.

They alleged that rioters had attacked Bagan Bazaar and set 600 shops on fire and 1,500 houses and looted the market on November 22.The speakers asked the government to reconstruct Bagan Bazaar and arrest those involved in the violence and destruction.

The protesters warned that if compensation was not provided to the affected shopkeepers within three days, they would block the Tall-Parachinar road for vehicular traffic.Meanwhile, due to road closures in Kurram district, petrol was being sold in the black market for Rs1,200 to 1,500 per liter, forcing residents to travel on foot.

For the past four and a half months, over 100 villages in Parachinar, Boshehra, upper and lower parts of Kurram had been under siege, leaving residents without access to food and medical care. Since the past five months, no fuel supply has reached the area, worsening the transportation crisis.However, the district administration claimed that efforts were underway to restore the fuel supply.