First convoy of supplies departs for Kurram under tight security

PESHAWAR: The first convoy of trucks carrying essential supplies has departed from Peshawar for Kurram, officials confirmed on Friday.

The development marks a crucial step in implementing the peace agreement signed between the rival parties during the three-week-long grand jirga on the Kurram crisis in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday.

According to Kurram Acting Deputy Commissioner Zahid Usman Kakakhel, the first convoy will make a stop at the border between Thall and Kurram before proceeding toward Parachinar on Saturday morning (January 4). Security forces and district administration will ensure safe passage for the convoy, he added.

Moreover, peace committees have been formed as part of the peace agreement in a bid to restore normalcy in Kurram. The committees comprise of tribal elders, former lawmakers, and local leaders and they would ensure that the recently signed peace agreement remains intact.

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Additionally, authorities have confirmed that the roads leading to Kurram and Parachinar will be cleared with the arrival of first convoy by Saturday morning.

After that, food supplies and passengers will be allowed to travel in convoys under police security. The peace committees would help security forces and district administration in barring disruptive elements from interfering with the convoys.

Additional support from other law enforcement agencies will also be available to ensure safety as the federal government has also deployed 10 platoons of the Frontier Corps (FC) to support provincial security efforts. 

Likewise, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved the recruitment of 400 additional police personnel for the protection of Kurram’s routes, with the hiring process set to commence soon.

According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, the federal and provincial governments would fully support the peace initiative while the committees would prevent any attempts to sabotage the agreement. 

As part of the Kurram peace deal, the armed rival parties have pledged to surrender weapons within 15 days, while agreeing to dismantle the bunkers within a month.

With this agreement, hopes of people besieged for more than 80 days in Kurram have revived that normalcy would finally return to this crisis-hit region.