Ex-senator announces launch of volunteer force in Kurram

PARACHINAR: A former senator, Allama Abid al-Hussaini, on Monday announced the formation of a volunteer force to protect the life and property of the people in the Kurram district.

Addressing a gathering at the Kashmir Chowk here, he stated that the public was being deceived under the pretext of lawlessness in Kurram, and the routes remained closed despite a peace agreement. He said the people had been besieged for the past seven months, facing conditions worse than those in Palestine and Gaza.

The Allama revealed that two trucks carrying relief packages meant for orphans and the poor had been waiting in the city of Tall since the first day of Ramadan, incurring a daily cost of Rs. 20,000 in rent. He termed it a manipulation and said it was no longer acceptable to the people. The former senator added that the people of Kurram had been suffering for the past seven months in conditions worse than Gaza and Palestine, with many dying for lack of food and medical care. He said that daily life had come to a standstill and people were disappointed by the government’s performance.

The Allama announced that the recruitment process for the volunteer force would begin on Tuesday to help restore peace and protect the lives and property of the residents. Leaders of Tehrik-e-Hussaini, including Secretary General Syed Ikhlaq Hussain, Syed Arif Hussain, and Haji Younas, also addressed the protest gathering.