Protest against Kurram road closures continues
• Faisal Edhi claims 50 deaths in Parachinar due to lack of medical facilities
• KP launches helicopter service to shift trapped people
• Punjab govt sends another consignment of essential items
KURRAM: Protests over the prolonged closure of transportation routes continued on Sunday in Kurram, with residents braving freezing temperatures in a sit-in outside the Parachinar Press Club.
Philanthropist Faisal Edhi said that 50 children have died due to a lack of medical facilities at hospitals and other health centres, while independent sources suggested the toll might be even higher.
Speaking to protesters, Tehsil Council Chairman Agha Muzammil Hussain lamented that the people of Parachinar and surrounding areas had been besieged due to road closures, and severe shortages of essential food items and medicines had worsened the situation.
He slammed the government for being “bent on disarming besieged citizens”, adding that the government’s actions “are tantamount to leaving innocent people at the mercy of terrorists. We cannot accept such policies under any circumstances”.
MPA Ali Hadi Irfani also criticised the government for making “unnecessary decisions” and called for urgent action to ensure public safety and relief efforts. He praised Faisal Edhi’s initiatives and urged the government to adopt more effective measures to ease the crisis.
Faisal Edhi has launched an air ambulance service to transport patients from Parachinar to Peshawar and bring medicines back to the besieged region. He said that more than 50 children have died in local hospitals due to the unavailability of treatment facilities.
Residents are also facing severe food shortages, with restaurants, tandoors and other shops remaining closed due to a lack of supplies. Cooking oil, gas and other essentials remain scarce, leaving families struggling to survive.
District administration officials said that negotiations were underway to open the roads and other measures, while medicines were being delivered to the area through helicopters and patients were being taken to Peshawar.
KP chopper service
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has also launched helicopter services to address the crisis. Some 53 people, including 14 patients, were airlifted from Parachinar to safer locations in Peshawar on Saturday, the APP reported.
Besides, 16 jirga members and official staff were shifted to Parachinar on Sunday in the first helicopter flight, 27 more people were shifted to Thall in the second flight, and stranded people in Thall were shifted to Parachinar in the third flight.
According to an official statement, over 100 individuals were expected to be relocated via helicopter flights on Sunday, with more medicines and essential supplies being delivered to Parachinar.
The government reported that 1,850 kilograms of medicines worth Rs12 million were airlifted to Parachinar on Saturday. Overall, medicines, including life-saving drugs, worth Rs60m have been dispatched through seven helicopter flights.
Punjab relief efforts
The Punjab government sent a second consignment of 41 essential items, including medicines, to Parachinar on Sunday, the APP reported.
According to the authorities, more medicines were being sent to Parachinar. The essential medicines comprised 24 items, including insulin, rabies vaccine and other life-saving drugs.
So far, 12 large consignments of essential medicines have reached Parachinar, while arrangements for the delivery of more medicines have been completed. One elderly patient from Parachinar was also recently airlifted to Islamabad for immediate operation.
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz said her government is prioritising humanitarian assistance over politics.
Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2024
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