pper Kurram, nestled in the majestic mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, remains in the grip of fear and despair. The recent sectarian conflict has cast a dark shadow over the region, leaving its residents in a state of perpetual anxiety.

Hundreds of thousands of residents remain besieged in the region bordering Afghanistan. The only road linking Upper Kurram with the rest of the country remains closed to regular traffic. Routine life has been suspended in the area for over three months due to sectarian tensions. Residents of Upper Kurram now face acute shortages of medicine and food supplies. Locals say more than a hundred children have died due to a lack of medication and inadequate nutrition.

The capital, Parachinar, remains besieged; its roads blocked and its people trapped. The isolation is palpable. It is as if the region had been severed from the rest of the world.

The blockade has disrupted the supply of essential commodities, leaving the residents to fend for themselves. The scarcity of food and medicine has led to widespread suffering, particularly among vulnerable populations, such as women, children and the elderly.

Tensions had flared in Kurram Valley on November 21, when a convoy travelling from Peshawar to Parachinar was ambushed, killing 38 people. In apparent retaliation, residents of Parachinar and surrounding areas raided homes and shops in the Bagan area, leaving over a hundred people dead and thousands displaced. Many properties were burnt to ground.

Muhammad Munir, 43, a Bagan resident now sheltering in Hangu district, recounted the horror of that night:

“Hundreds of armed men stormed the village, breaking down doors, shooting everyone they saw and setting homes ablaze. I woke to the chaos and immediately fled with my wife, mother and three children. We ran as far as we could,” he told The News on Sunday.

In Bagan, fear is now etched on every face as residents whisper tales of violence and bloodshed. The burnt properties are a constant reminder of the danger that lurks around the corner. The once-thriving bazaars and markets lie deserted as many people cower in their homes, too afraid to venture out.

Hundreds of displaced families now reside in government-run camps in Hangu and Tall. Despite a peace agreement in January, Bagan’s residents continue to hold street protests by blocking the Parachinar Road. They are demanding compensation to rebuild their homes and businesses. While local authorities have imposed a curfew and initiated food supplies to Parachinar, normal traffic and movement remain disrupted.

This stand-off is the result of two factors: misplaced government priorities and administrative incompetence. While Parachinar burned in November, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government was preoccupied with protests in Islamabad to free the jailed party leader. The federal government too prioritised managing the PTI demonstrations over addressing the sectarian conflict threatening to engulf the country. Meanwhile, the provincial government displayed alarming indifference to Kurram’s crisis.

Hundreds of displaced families now reside in government-run camps in Hangu and Tall. Despite a peace agreement in January, Bagan’s residents continue to protest by blocking the Parachinar Road, demanding compensation to rebuild their homes and businesses.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the provincial president of the Awami National Party, criticised the PTI’s response. “They fabricated the narrative of a massacre in Islamabad, ignoring real bloodshed in their backyard. This reflects the government’s collapsing writ—especially in southern districts. The chief minister and the former IG, who both hail from this region, failed to prevent the convoy attack and to stop armed mobs from ravaging Bagan. Such incompetence is unforgivable.”

Despite government promises to restore peace, the 80-kilometer Thal-Parachinar Road remains closed over security concerns. Security forces have conducted several targeted operations, but the residents of Upper Kurram foresee a prolonged siege. Despair has taken hold as there is no end in sight to the conflict. The people of Upper Kurram feel abandoned. It is as if the rest of the world has forgotten about them. The lack of access to basic necessities, such as food and medicine, has exacerbated the sense of hopelessness.

Nazar Ali, 26, from Parachinar, says: “Life-saving drugs are unavailable. My mother relies on blood pressure medication, but for two days, every pharmacy in Kurram has been out of stock—even alternatives. People are dying because of this.”

Locals say the current devastation surpasses a century of sectarian strife. Previously, they had relied on access to Afghanistan for supplies during road closures (as in 2007-08). However, since the Taliban takeover, this lifeline has vanished.

Upper Kurram now faces unprecedented inflation. Ali Afzal, a Parachinar-based journalist, reported that petrol had sold at Rs 1,500 per liter. “Prices skyrocket whenever supplies are delayed. Transporters exploit the crisis by charging exorbitant rates,” he tells TNS.

Meanwhile, in Lower Kurram security forces have launched a targeted operation against extremists in the Bagan area. Kohat division commissioner, Mo’tasim-billah said during a press conference at the Hangu District Police Office that an operation was necessary as militants had infiltrated the tribal communities. He said the peace agreement reached in Kohat between the warring factions in Kurram was historically significant and well-aligned with the local context.

Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, the provincial government spokesperson, has said a high-level meeting attended by the chief secretary and senior police officials has decided to take indiscriminate action against miscreants. He said that the state will stand by peaceful citizens and is determined.

Tribal elders complain that neither the provincial nor the federal government has prioritised Upper Kurram’s security and humanitarian needs. As roads are closed, supplies scarce and authorities indifferent, the region is teetering on the brink of a catastrophe.

The writer is a Peshawar-based journalist, researcher and trainer. He also works for the digital media platform The Khorasan Diary.