Protest staged against road closure in Kurram

PRARACHINAR: The link and main roads remained closed for the 20th consecutive day on Thursday in Kurram tribal district, creating a host of problems for the dwellers, including shortage of food items, medicines and fuel.

The residents staged a sit-in at the Main Chowk in Parachinar to protest the closure of roads in the district. Speaking on the occasion, Mir Afzal Khan, Mahmood Ali Jan and others said that the road closure had causing severe difficulties for the students, labourers working abroad and the general public.

They said people’s visas and tickets being expired, which had inflicted huge losses on them. Staging protest against road closure, the students said that they were unable to attend the Higher Education Commission test scheduled in Peshawar on October 3 due to the blocked of roads.

They demanded that arrangements for the test be made within their area of Parachinar for hundreds of students. The Private Education Network head Muhammad Hayat Khan said that due to the lack of fuel, all public and private educational institutions in the area had been closed for four days.

Member of Provincial Assembly Ali Hadi Irfani told reporters that 3G and 4G services in Kurram had also been shut down for a month, causing difficulties for students in accessing online classes.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of District Kurram Javedullah Mehsud stated that after an incident of firing on passenger vehicles in a government convoy on October 12, in which 15 people lost their lives, the routes were closed due to security concerns. However, a peace delegation from Kohat is holding talks with the elders of both parties, and efforts are underway to reopen the roads soon.

The clashes over land disputes have been a longstanding issue in the region, often resulting in loss of lives and disruptions to daily life. Local elders and political figures have urged for a peaceful resolution to the conflicts and stressed the need for restoration of lasting peace in the region.