Mohsin Naqvi, Gandapur meet in apex committee to address Kurram situation

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur chaired the Apex Committee meeting on Kurram today. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was also in attendance, as the participants tried to arrive at the longstanding crisis in the Kurram district of Parachinar.

The Kurram district has been struck by another wave of violence, which has consumed at least 130 lives since November 2024. The region has been sensitive with regards to security, with frequent clashes reported between different tribes living in the region. However, since October this year, militancy has escalated sharply, causing a much higher death toll as well.

Also read: KP CM to chair apex committee on Kurram situation today

In response to this, the authorities have shut down the main roads linking Kurram to Parachinar and other districts. This prolonged closure, since October 13, has now created even more troubles for the local residents. Food, medicines and fuel have begun to disappear from the district, with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Punjab government, and social welfare organisations such as Edhi Foundation scrambling to provide the denizens with wheat and life-saving medicines etc.

NAQVI-GANDAPUR MEETING

Before the Apex Committee meeting was convened, the interior minister and chief minister also had a meeting. According to a statement by the Ministry of Interior, Mohsin Naqvi has assured Ali Amin Gandapur of all possible assistance. The Interior Minister also threw the government’s weight behind increasing the capabilities of law enforcement agencies in the region.

A Jirga is also underway in Kohat for a lasting and permanent solution to the Kurram crisis. Earlier, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had announced that the situation in Kurram will only normalise after the armed groups surrender their weapons and vacate the bunkers from where they are attacking each other.

The tribal leaders have also shared suggestions for restoring peace in the region which include stakeholder consultations and disarming the region from heavy weapons.

RELIEF MEASURES

Faisal Edhi from the Edhi Foundation, in cooperation with the health department, have taken essential medicines to the Kurram, Parachinar region.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has also provided wheat to the residents, through CM’s helicopter.

Also read: Punjab CM sends emergency medicines to Parachinar

Earlier today, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz sent a consignment of life-saving medicines through air ambulance service to Kurram as well.

The air ambulances from the Edhi foundation and the Punjab government will also be used to transport critically ill patients from Kurram to Peshwar and Rawalpindi, respectively.