After weeks of deliberations, rival tribes in Kurram on Wednesday signed a 14-point peace agreement aimed at restoring peace to the area and reopening roads that have left the region cut off from the rest of the country.
Reportedly, 45 people, including elders, from each side signed the accord. Under the deal, both sides have agreed to relinquish their weapons to the government and demolish all private bunkers. Deviations from the deal will result in a government response.
The deal also calls for the formation of a committee within 15 days to work on its implementation. Members of the grand Jirga that negotiated the deal said they hoped it would help the situation in Kurram return to normal within a month.
A key demand of protesters in Parachinar—the reopening of roads—will remain pending until the government is assured that it would not cause further violence. According to Adviser to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa C.M. on Information Muhammad Saif, authorities will provide security for convoys in the initial phase. Roads will be reopened to traffic after it has been established that the decision will not trigger further unrest, he added.
“The peace agreement will usher in an era of peace and prosperity in Kurram,” claimed Saif.
Grand Jirga
The deal was achieved due to the efforts of a grand Jirga convened at Kohat Fort to mediate between the warring tribes. Held under the supervision of GOC 9 Division Maj. Gen. Zulfiqar Bhatti, the talks aimed to establish lasting peace as the death toll of the clashes soared past 130. Locals have said the sustained closures also led to the deaths of 100 children over a lack of access to medical care.
The truce is the latest in a long line of attempts to foster peace. Previous deals have failed to take hold, with authorities blaming the proliferation of weapons and private bunkers.
Karachi protests
After the inking of the deal, protesters staging a sit-in in Parachinar against ongoing road closures announced they would end their demonstration once roads were reopened. However, the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) announced an end to its weeklong sit-ins in various areas of Karachi, which have paralyzed traffic in the metropolis.
In a statement, MWM Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas called off sit-ins nationwide in light of the inking of the peace agreement. The government must now ensure the agreement is implemented in letter and spirit, he stressed.