- Peace talks facilitated by the Pakistani military.
- More than 130 people have been killed since November.
- KP government insists on surrender of arms for opening of roads.
KOHAT/PARACHINAR: The Great Peace Jirga is expected to resume today at 11 a.m. after being postponed the day before due to the impasse between the warring groups over the surrender of heavy weapons, News reported Saturday.
Negotiations, supervised by GOC 9th Division Major General Zulfiqar Bhatti, have been going on for two months at Kohat Fort.
Kohat Commissioner Mutasim Billah Shah, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abbas Majeed Marwat and Deputy Commissioners of Kohat, Hangu and Kurram are also participating in the jirga.
The violence-hit Kurram district has seen a surge in tribal clashes, leaving more than 130 people dead since November, when conflict between two tribal groups intensified.
The issue remains unresolved despite multiple truces announced over the past year as elders from both sides work to negotiate a lasting peace deal.
Reports indicate that more than 100 children have died due to a severe shortage of medicines, although Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif has denied the claims.
The recent clashes have triggered a humanitarian crisis, with shortages of medicine and oxygen, exacerbated by the closure of the main highway linking Parachinar to Peshawar.
Apart from a nine-day sit-in at Parachinar Press Club, road closures in the district have triggered protests in Karachi, which have now entered their third day today.
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) protests continue in more than 10 locations across the port city, causing major traffic disruptions and inconvenience to commuters.
Amid efforts to restore peace, the KP government declared Kurram district “disaster struck”. Authorities airlifted medical supplies to the region and evacuated those most in need.
KP Health Advisor Ihtisham Ali said medicines were regularly supplied to Kurram health centers and more than 16,000 patients had been treated at Parachinar HQ since December 13. He assured that the supply of medicines would continue until road access was fully restored.
Peace negotiations, facilitated by the Pakistani military, are underway, with a major jirga involving tribal elders, including prominent figures like Pir Haider, Haji Noor Jaf and Inayat Hussain Turi, meeting to negotiate a deal .
However, an impasse persists over the surrender of weapons, a key issue delaying the reopening of roads. Barrister Saif, who is also the Assistant to KP Chief Minister on Information, said progress had been made and tribal elders would have signed the agreement, with the remaining signatures expected today .
The final decision of the jirga is expected to be announced at the Kohat commissioner’s office, with the Kohat-Parachinar route likely to be declared safe for travelers once the agreement is formalized.
Renowned religious scholar Allama Syed Shahenshah Hussain Naqvi is expected to arrive in Kohat from Karachi. He plans to visit Kacha Pakka camp to meet the affected people of Kurram and participate in the ongoing peace talks, thereby adding his voice to the reconciliation efforts.