PESHAWAR:
The Kurram district administration is set to begin dismantling bunkers that have fueled the ongoing conflict in the region, with the process starting today (Monday) after a delay on Sunday.
As part of a broader peace agreement, several teams have been formed, with the intention of beginning demolitions in selected villages. The first phase will focus on one bunker from each of the two opposing villages, with a deadline of February 1 to complete the task.
The district administration has formed committees to oversee this process.
Deputy Commissioner Kurram Ashfaq Khan said that as per the peace agreement with Kohat, all bunkers in the district will be demolished and weapons collected by February 1.
He said law enforcement would accompany teams to demolition sites. He added that after the security clearance, humanitarian convoys would be sent to the region.
Meanwhile, Section 144 remains in force in Kurram.
The orders for the demolition of the bunkers were issued the day before, in accordance with the decisions of the provincial supreme committee and the peace agreement.
The executive engineer (EXEN) of the C&W (Communication and Works) department of Upper and Lower Kurram was instructed to be present on site with the tools and workers required for the demolition of the bunker.
According to the notification, initially, one bunker from each of the two villages will be dismantled and a 14-member government team will be sent to the two villages to carry out the task.
Confirming the development, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said work was underway to demolish the bunkers in Kurram.
Regarding the unrest in KP, he confirmed the presence of 166 bunkers in Kurram, and efforts are underway for their demolition.
On December 20, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa supreme committee took the decision to dismantle all bunkers in Kurram district as part of efforts to restore peace, after weeks of deadly tribal clashes that had led to a deterioration of the public order situation.
The clashes, rooted in long-standing land disputes, have left at least 130 people dead since November. The violence also caused shortages of food and medicine due to road blockages that lasted for weeks.
Medical supplies
Meanwhile, Health Advisor Ihtisham Ali said the demand for medicines had increased significantly in Kurram district due to the extreme weather conditions. He noted a notable increase in outpatient visits for childhood illnesses in the region.
Ihtisham Ali reassured the public that the supply of medicines to health centers in Kurram district continues uninterrupted. He shared that on Sunday, 2,900 kilograms of medicines were delivered to Sadda Hospital in Lower Kurram.
The delivery was made possible thanks to two flights of the KP government’s MI-17 helicopter. Emergency medicines worth Rs1.5 million were handed over to the medical director of Sadda Hospital.
He further stressed that the supply of medicines by helicopter would continue until the situation returns to normal.
