Naqvi meets CM Gandapur as KP apex committee discusses Kurram situation

As the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa apex committee convened on Friday to discuss the law and order situation in the clashes-marred Kurram District, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur.

Scores have been wounded and many displaced in weeks-long clashes in Kurram that have killed at least 130 people since last month. The clashes started in the wake of an attack on a convoy that claimed at least 43 lives.

Residents have reported food and medicine shortages in parts of Kurram district, which borders Afghanistan, as the government struggles to end a reignited feud between tribes stemming from decades-old land disputes.

As a jirga continues making efforts for long-term peace in the district, the apex committee meeting — chaired by CM Gandapur — will review the situation in Kurram, the KP government’s measures to restore peace, and other related matters, according to an official statement.

Ahead of the apex committee moot today, Naqvi arrived at the chief minister’s office in Peshawar, where the two exchanged views on establishing peace in Kurram, according to a statement by the interior ministry.

It said Naqvi assured the KP CM of “every possible cooperation” in that regard.

“We will fully support increasing the capabilities of law enforcement agencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Establishing peace in Kurram is our top priority,” Naqvi was quoted as saying.

The minister stressed the need to take steps for long-term peace in the tribal district with consultation from all stakeholders, the statement added.

During the meeting, Naqvi and CM Gandapur also paid tribute to the security personnel who embraced martyrdom while combating terrorism.

Participants at the apex committee include senior civil and military leadership, relevant members of the provincial cabinet, as well as officials from the relevant divisional and district administrations.

An earlier statement read that important decisions would be made during the meeting to ensure the provision of commodities and other essential items to the people of Kurram and establish peace in the region.

“The forum will also determine a future course of action for achieving sustainable peace in the area through consultations with all relevant stakeholders.”

The official statement added that the meeting would be briefed on the progress made so far by the “grand jirga” formed by the provincial government to restore peace in the district.

The jirga has been holding talks with members from both warring tribes but a permanent peace deal is elusive.

Another official statement declared that CM Gandapur had decided to provide wheat to Kurram residents at subsidised rates and directed the food department and district administration to take immediate steps in this regard.

The provincial government on Thursday continued to supply medicines to Kurram via an MI-17 helicopter. Two consignments of medicines were delivered to the Sadda area, according to a statement, which added that the 3,600kg shipment included emergency medicines and essential vaccines.

On Wednesday, the provincial government rejected a claim of the Kurram chemists and druggist association about 60 deaths from medicine shortages, and insisted medicine supply to the district had never been stopped or disrupted.

The provincial government has already declared that the situation in Kurram will normalise only after the armed groups voluntarily surrendered heavy weapons and vacated the bunkers used to target each other.