Voluntary surrender of heavy arms begins in Kurram

PARACHINAR: The elders in lower and Upper Kurram surrendered heavy weapons voluntarily on Saturday as efforts to restore lasting peace to the district continue.

In the first phase, elders from Lower and Upper Kurram handed over a significant quantity of heavy arms to the authorities.

Deputy Commissioner, Kurram, Ashfaq Ahmed said these measures were being taken under the peace agreement signed in Kohat, which also led to the demolition of around one thousand bunkers established by rival groups. The voluntary handover of weapons would continue across different areas of the district in the coming days.

The deputy commissioner added that, alongside disarmament, the government was working on reopening closed roads and taking various steps to provide relief to the public affected by years of unrest.

Speaking to the media on the occasion, tribal leaders Zamin Hussain and Abdul Manan assured full cooperation to the government to maintain peace. They also urged the authorities to expedite efforts to reopen travel routes and offer much-needed relief to the local population suffering from the prolonged insecurity.