DI KHAN:
The main road in Kurram district remains closed for the 73rd consecutive day due to ongoing unrest, prompting citizens to stage a sit-in. Protesters claim that residents of Parachinar are now on the brink of starvation.
According to details, the roads connecting Kurram district, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with other areas have been closed to all types of traffic and movement for 73 days.
This has completely disrupted the supply chain to Upper Kurram, leaving its approximately 400,000 residents stranded.
Road closures have caused severe shortages of essential goods in the region, including food, medicine, fuel and LPG. Supplies have completely run out. Due to lack of fuel, all public and private educational institutions in Upper Kurram have been closed. ATMs have run out of cash, increasing citizens’ anguish. They have also been forced to close hotels, bakeries and shops selling vegetables and fruits.
Border officials report that there is also no movement across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Kharlachi. Hospitals are facing critical shortages of medicines, resulting in the deaths of patients, including children. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali mentioned that the provincial government, Punjab government and Edhi Air Ambulance are trying to address the crisis by providing medicines through helicopters and air ambulances.
Meanwhile, citizens of Kurram district have started a sit-in against the road closure. They demand the immediate reopening of roads and the supply of food and medicine for the stranded population.
Speaking at the sit-in in front of the Parachinar Press Club, leaders Iqrar Turi, Mir Afzal Khan, Samar Bangash and Shafaat Hussain stated that the people of Parachinar have been forced to starve due to the closure of the main road and the Afghan border for more than two and a half months. Workers working in local markets have also joined the protest with their handcarts.
Leaders warned that failure to reopen and secure roads could result in a major humanitarian crisis. The district administration explained that the roads were closed for security reasons following incidents of firing at passenger convoys and clashes in Kurram district.
Earlier, locals condemned government statements claiming that a plentiful supply of essential goods was “misleading”, educational institutions in the volatile Kurram tribal district decided to close from Friday (today).
They have also warned of launching a protest movement. “The government is trying to increase people’s misery instead of protecting their lives and property. It seems to want to deprive people of food and medical care,” says Marjan Ali, director of one of the educational institutes.
She, Zahid Hussain and other heads of educational institutions held a press conference in which they stated that the government has failed to ensure security and provide necessities such as food and medicine.
