MWM calls off sit-ins after rival Kurram tribes reach agreement

KARACHI/ ISLAMABAD: In a sigh of relief for Karachiites, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) has called off its over week-long sit-ins in different areas of the provincial capital besides in other areas of the country.

In a statement issued late Wednesday, MWM Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said the peace agreement has been signed between the rival tribes of Kurram after a grand jirga was held in Kohat. He announced ending sit-ins across the country, saying the peace agreement was reached with the consent of the warring tribes. “Now the ball is in government’s court to implement the agreement,” the MWM chief added.

The development came hours after the two warring tribes in Kurram inked a 14-point peace accord aimed at establishing peace in the district. Speaking to Geo News, MWM’s KP chapter president Shabbir Sajidi announced that it has been decided to end sit-ins across the country except Parachinar. “The ongoing sit-in outside the Peshawar Press Club has also been ended,” he noted.

Referring to the Parachinar protest, Sajidi said that the sit-in would continue until the roads are reopened in the restive territory and essential items are delivered.

He asked the government to ensure the restoration of normalcy in Parachinar as the negotiations have been completed.

Earlier, the MWM chief linked the calling off their protest sit-ins in Karachi to the opening of roads leading to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s restive Kurram district for general traffic. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Senator Nasir blasted the Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur-led provincial government — with whom the MWM is still an ally, saying: “Closure of roads leading to Parachinar is the failure of the provincial government.”

He held the KP CM responsible for the closure of the roads leading to the violence-hit district. “KP government has not cooperated with us so far,” he admitted.

Expressing satisfaction over the Jirga-brokered peace agreement, the senator said that the tribal elders had fulfilled their responsibility. He hoped that the peace accord would be implemented in its true spirit.

Over 130 people have been killed in the recent deadly clashes in the country’s north-western Kurram district, Reuters reported citing District administration official Wajid Hussain.MWM’s sit-ins continued for nine days in different parts of Karachi, the country’s economic hub, paralyzing daily life and businesses.