KP Govt to take stringent action against miscreants; Camps set up for temporarily displaced persons
Tariq Saeed Peshawar
As the restive Kurram tribal district continues to be tense, the Pakistan Army led security forces have taken control of the of Bagan Bazaar in Kurram, amid resolve by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take indiscriminate and stringent action against the miscreants involved in attacks on relief convoys and deputy commissioner.
The KP government also apprehended that trouble makers have infiltrated among the peace-loving people of the district in an attempt to frustrate the efforts of the government and the security forces to restore lasting peace in the region.
The terrorists, it may be recalled, had a few days back ambushed a convoy of 35 vehicles carrying food items, medicines and other essentials to Parachinar in Bagan area that claimed the lives of at least 8 people, including security personnel, drivers and civilians though in retaliatory fire several attackers were also gunned down by security forces. In fact Kurram, a district of more than 600,000 residents near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, has long been a hotspot for sectarian violence. Recent months have seen escalating tensions, with clashes since July to date leaving over 200 people including women and children dead and more that 500 hundred seriously wounded. Besides, the KP Govt also launched MI-17 copter service for the quick transportation of residents to safer places.
On Sunday several bunkers, four each belonging to the Watezai tribe and Tori tribe in Irfani Kalay, were vacated during the operation. In the backdrop of attacks on convoys and continued subversive activities by the miscreants, a search operation has also been launched to apprehend the culprits.
While the security sources have confirmed that the operation is focused on eliminating threats and ensuring the safety of travellers and residents in the area, the tribal elders have said door-to-door searches are being conducted to locate the miscreants involved in the subversive activities and creating chaos in the region.
In efforts to secure the roads and establish lasting peace in the Kurram district, the KP government has decided to take strict action against the miscreants involved in attacks on relief convoys and deputy commissioner.
The decision was taken in a high-level meeting, which was attended by provincial chief secretary, Inspector-General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan and civil and police officers.
Advisor to Chief Minister KP Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said on Sunday, “Action against such miscreants in affected areas has become indispensable”.
The KP government spokesperson also vowed to ensure the implementation of a peace agreement within the two warring tribes as per the law yet regretted that some miscreants have “infiltrated” among the peace-loving people of Kurram. The spokesperson said that the provincial government has been trying to restore peace in Kurram for the past three months. He said the miscreants always tried to sabotage the peace agreement in the district.
Saif also claimed that best alternative arrangements have been made for the accommodation of the people of the affected areas ahead of the action. The Spokesperson appealed to the people of affected areas to cooperate with the government which he said would soon eliminate the miscreants and restore peace in the area.
Meanwhile, a huge consignment of medicines has been dispatched to Upper Kurram on the instructions of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and advisor health.
