KOHAT/PARACHINAR: The trucks loaded with goods destined for Kurram district on Tuesday returned from Hangu’s Thall tehsil after a four-day wait due to ongoing security issues.
Frustrated by the lack of progress to get the routes leading to Parachinar reopened, the drivers of the trucks, who had been waiting at Thall in Hangu district to proceed to Parachinar, decided to turn back.
Efforts to send essential food supplies and other goods to various parts of Kurram district began on January 4. However, the operation faced setbacks after an attack on Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud in Bagan area in Lower Kurram and a sit-in protest by local tribes in Mandori. Authorities temporarily halted the convoy as tensions escalated, but no resolution was reached after four days.
The drivers, running out of patience, opted to return. Many of the vehicles, carrying perishable items, headed back, while others remained stationed in different parts of Thall.
Talking to The News, Hangu Deputy Commissioner, Hangu, Gohar Zaman Wazir clarified that only vehicles loaded with perishable goods were sent back. He said that most of the vehicles in the convoy remained in place, awaiting clearance.
Meanwhile, despite a ceasefire and peace agreement after months of unrest, residents of Kurram district are still awaiting the arrival of essential food and medical supplies.
For the past four days, convoys loaded with relief goods have been stranded in Thall city and are unable to proceed due to road closures. The delay is compounding the problems of the local people as there is acute shortage of medicines. The deaths of children and other patients were reported due to a lack of proper treatment.
Social activist Ali Jawad said that three more children died from illness, bringing the total number of fatalities during the road closures to 221, including 147 children. “The absence of food and medical aid is causing deaths. Immediate action is needed to prevent further losses,” he said. Member National Assembly Hamid Hussain urged authorities to reopen the routes without delay and said, “The population has been under siege for three months. Further delays will deepen the suffering of the residents. Immediate steps must be taken to ensure the supply of essential goods and medical assistance.” The officials of the district administration said that Section 144 had been imposed in Kurram, and a sit-in outside the Parachinar Press Club recently ended. However, they attributed the delay in convoy movement to an ongoing protest at the main road in Lower Kurram’s Mandori area. Tehsil Chairman Agha Muzzammil Hussain said that blocking food and medical supplies to the areas in Upper Kurram is inhumane. Social worker Ameer Afzal Khan urged the government to immediately reopen the main routes for the delivery of food and medical supplies.
Meanwhile, protests erupted in Sadda, where shopkeepers demanded the release of Irshad Khan, the president of the local traders’ union, who was arrested for allegedly making fiery speeches.