Kurram unrest KP govt's failure: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday expressed deep concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Kurram district and said that it was the failure of KP’s provincial government. He urged that safety and security of citizens be ensured immediately.

He also directed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to provide a detailed report on the situation in the Kurram district. “On the one hand, the Kurram district is burning in the fire of unrest and, on the other hand, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is absent from the scene,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pointed out that in the last few days, 80 citizens had been killed in Kurram and people were not even safe in their homes. “The government’s silence in this turmoil is tantamount to being an ally of terrorists,” he said.

The PPP chairman emphasized that maintaining law and order is the primary responsibility of the provincial government, but the PTI-led provincial government had failed to protect the lives and property of citizens. “We condemn the criminal negligence of the PTI government.”

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari concluded by saying, “My heart is bleeding for the victims, and we cannot stand to see Khyber Pakhtunkhwa burn in the flames of lawlessness. The PPP will play its role in ensuring peace and order, not only in Kurram but across the entire province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

Meanwhile, the warring tribal groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district have finally agreed to a seven-day ceasefire after days of clashes that left at least 30 dead and injured dozens, a KP government spokesperson said on Sunday. “The two parties have agreed to return each other’s hostages and bodies,” Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said in a statement after the delegation led by him met the tribal leaders in a bid to stop the clashes.

He noted that the government delegation flew to Parachinar — Kurram’s main city — on Saturday to meet leaders of both sides. The delegation met both the warring parties on Sunday to try to broker a ceasefire deal and then move to resolve the matter.

Armed groups have attacked settlements that are populated by members of rival groups.

“Approximately 300 families have relocated to Hangu and Peshawar since this morning in search of safety,” a senior official told AFP, adding that more families were preparing to leave the violence-hit district.

The clashes started after gunmen attacked convoys of civilian vehicles on Thursday, killing at least 44. That sparked retaliatory attacks and there have been pitched battles between armed groups from both sides. At least 75 people have been killed over the past three days in the ongoing gun battles between different tribes, according to police. Last month, at least 16 people, including three women and two children, were killed in a clash in Kurram. Previous clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a jirga, or tribal council, called a ceasefire. HRCP said 79 people died between July and October in clashes.