Reports of an “attack” on a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government helicopter carrying a high-level official delegation on Saturday to improve peace in Kurram district amid a tense environment that led to 18 killed in fresh clashes were rejected as “baseless” by the provincial law minister.
Efforts were underway today to restore peace in Kurram District as 18 more people were killed and another 30 injured in fresh clashes. The violence followed Thursday’s deadly attack, when a convoy of around 200 vehicles came under heavy gunfire in Kurram’s densely populated Bagan town, killing at least 43 people and injuring 16 others.
The convoy was carrying passengers between Peshawar and Parachinar city, which is in Kurram, a district near the Afghanistan border with a history of sectarian violence and land disputes.
Kurram District Health Officer Dr Qaisar Abbas confirmed the casualties to Dawn.com, adding that nine patients would be referred to Peshawar by air ambulance as they were in serious condition.
The KP government sent a high-level delegation to Kurram to improve the security situation in the area, comprising KP Law Minister Aftab Alam, KP Chief Secretary (CS) Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, the Kohat Division commissioner and deputy inspector general of police, and other high-level officials.
The delegation was tasked to take measures to improve the security situation and also make efforts to utilise the local jirga for the purpose.
KP Law Minister Aftab Alam said that recommendations would be forwarded to the chief minister. He said that all departments were making tireless efforts to improve the law and order situation in Kurram.
Earlier today, reports circulated in the media about an alleged firing attack on the helicopter in Parachinar, causing it to land. A statement was also issued from the KP governor’s office condemning the alleged incident.
However, Alam told Dawn.com that the news was “baseless” and nothing of the sort happened.
“No such incident has occurred. The news of the firing on the helicopter is false. The government delegation, including me, is safe,” he said.
Sajid Hussain Turi, a former PPP MNA from Kurram, who was also aboard the helicopter, similarly denied any firing incident to Dawn.com.
According to him, the reports of a firing incident were entirely baseless and a product of propaganda spread by news channels without proper authentication.
Meanwhile, Kurram Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javedullah Mehsud said efforts were being made to re-establish peace in the area, reiterating yesterday’s statement.
DC Mehsud and Turi confirmed to Dawn.com that a high-level meeting was underway in the district for peace efforts.
Turi, one of the meeting’s participants, said KP Inspector General of Police (IG) Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, CS Chaudhry and provincial government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif were also attending the meeting.
He lamented that the security provided to the convoy that was attacked was less than the required amount.
DC Mehsud said officials of security forces and local administration were attending the meeting convened at the DC Conference Hall.
“With the help of local elders, forces and the administration, peace will be established as soon as possible,” the official said. According to a Dawn.com correspondent, the two tribes involved in the dispute are Alizai and Bagan.
According to witnesses, the vehicles were ambushed from four sides. Muhammad, a 14-year-old survivor, told Dawn that the assault lasted around 30 minutes.
Authorities said that the victims included seven women and three children, with 16 others injured — 11 of whom are in critical condition.
Sajid Kazmi, a leader of Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), demanded the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the attack. No group had immediately claimed responsibility for the incident.
Speculation also surrounds the involvement of the banned terrorist group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has recently been active in Lower Kurram, prompting fears among the residents. But government officials attributed the incident to the ongoing land dispute, ruling out sectarian motives.
Businesses, educational institutions and markets remained closed across Parachinar and surrounding areas on Friday.
An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that mobile signals across the Kurram district had been shut down, describing the situation as “extremely tense”.
The official also said a curfew had been “imposed on the main road connecting Upper and Lower Kurram”.
Thousands of people participated in a sit-in in Parachinar, where protesters criticised the government’s failure to protect civilians. Hundreds also demonstrated in Lahore and Karachi.
Funerals for the victims, including journalist Janan Hussain, a member of the Parachinar Press Club, were held in their respective villages before Friday prayers. Hussain had recently returned from Malaysia.
The attack was widely condemned, including by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, as well as political parties.
Previous clashes in July and September had claimed dozens of lives and were resolved only after tribal councils brokered ceasefires.
Additional input from APP.
