Kurram unrest: Govt links compensation payment to cooperation with admin

PESHAWAR: A meeting with Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in the chair here on Wednesday decided to resume the process of demolition of bunkers in Kurram besides dispatching four convoys of vehicles to carry essential supplies to the restive district by the end of this month.

An official handout said that the meeting took stock of the prevailing situation in Kurram and made important decisions.

The chief secretary, inspector general of police (IGP), additional chief secretary Home and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

It decided to convene a jirga of the signatories of the Kurram Peace Agreement to highlight their responsibilities to implement the accord.

The meeting decided to re-activate village-level committees in Kurram, and both the parties involved in the conflict were asked to submit a plan to the provincial government as soon as possible for de-weaponising the area.

The meeting decided that payments of compensation to victims of the Bagan area would be conditional to their cooperation with the government and local administration. The meeting was told that indiscriminate action would be taken against terrorists and militants on both sides, and individuals nominated in FIRs would be apprehended for legal action actions against them.

It was decided that civil administration and police would take the lead the role in the restoration of normalcy in the restive area with support from other law enforcement agencies.

To enhance security, special units would be deployed along the Kurram Road whereas police would finalise a plan for both temporary and permanent recruitment to this end.

Immediate steps will be taken for the rehabilitation and renovation of the damaged Bagan Bazaar.

A provincial-level monitoring committee led by Adviser to Chief Minister on Information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif would be made effective.

The meeting urged political leadership and elected representatives to participate in restoring peace in Kurram and come up with a clear stance on the issue.

It was decided in the meeting that regular visits would be conducted to oversee the demolition of bunkers and arrangements for temporarily displaced individuals.

It decided that additional police personnel would be deployed to the area and all elements disrupting peace, along with their facilitators, would be arrested and prosecuted. A unified narrative on the issue would be developed to counter propaganda, the meeting decided.