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• DC’s letter says counter-terror offensive to take place in four villages of Lower Kurram
• Around 1,000 families expected to be displaced
• Temporary accommodations to be set up in Hangu
KURRAM: Authorities have planned to launch a limited “counter-terrorism operation” in four villages of Lower Kurram days after deadly attacks on aid convoys in the district, according to an official letter.
At least two soldiers and four drivers lost their lives in an attack on an aid convoy in the Bagan area of Lower Kurram a day ago.
The convoy was taking essential goods to the region after roads were reopened following a ceasefire agreement brokered between warring sides by a government-backed jirga.
The letter written by Kurram Deputy Commissioner Ashfaq Khan to the relief secretary of KP’s Rehabilitation and Settlement Department on Friday stated that law enforcement agencies were “planning to operation [sic] in various areas of Lower Kurram” to counter terror activities.
The letter titled ‘Establishment of camp to TDPs of District Kurram’ said the offensive was planned in four Lower Kurram villages of Bagan, Mandori/Uchat/Charkhel, Chapri and Chapri Paraw.
The communication, dated Jan 17 and seen by Dawn, said that over 1,800 families are expected to be displaced as a result of the operation.
According to the letter, 866 families and 9,685 “households” from Bagan, 466 families and 5,245 households from Mandori/Uchat/Charkhel; and 547 families and 2,494 households from Chapri Paraw and Chapri would be relocated.
More than 1,000 families would be relocated under the plan.
The letter proposed four sites in the Thall area of the neighbouring Hangu district to set up camps for the displaced population. This would “ensure safety and support of the affected population during the expected operation”.
Four sites in Thall, including Government Degree College, Thall, Technical College, Rescue 1122 Centre and Judicial Complex, have been designated for temporary accommodations.
“Furthermore, a committee at Chapri Lower Kurram under the supervision of additional deputy commissioner (R&HR) Kurram has already been notified […] for coordination purpose,” the DC letter added.
Hangu Deputy Commissioner Gohar Zaman Wazir visited various sites in Thall, including the Government Girls Degree College, former Vocational Centre and Government Higher Secondary School Muhammad Khwaja, to review the available classrooms for temporary accommodation.
Instructions have been issued to the Town Municipal Authority, Thall, to ensure cleanliness in the camps.
Other government departments have also been ordered to provide the necessary facilities for the camps.
Kurram has witnessed repeated episodes of violence since an attack on a convoy of passenger vehicles killed more than 40 people months ago.
The subsequent weeks-long violence resulted in the deaths of more than a hundred people.
The volatile security situation led to the closure of the main road for weeks, resulting in a shortage of essential goods and medicines in the district.
A peace agreement was signed earlier this month after days of deliberations between warring sides and the government-backed jirga.
The 14-point accord urged the authorities to take strict action against trespassers on roads, while village and peace committees would also cooperate with the government and law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order.
“In case of any untoward incident on the main road, the area people would be bound to prove their innocence in line with the Kurram district traditions,” it said, adding that those harbouring and feeding miscreants would be considered guilty under the law and traditions.
The accord, however, failed to bring peace to the area.
Days after the deal was signed, the convoy of former Kurram deputy commissioner Javedullah Mehsud was attacked.
Members of the Grand Jirga that negotiated the peace accord, including former MNA Pir Haider Ali Shah and others, have condemned the violence, stating that such actions undermined efforts to establish peace.
They reminded the government of its promise made at the time of the agreement to open roads and take immediate action in the event of attacks.
They urged the government to take swift action to establish lasting peace in the Kurram district.
The jirga members also appealed to the citizens of Kurram district to play their part in maintaining peace.
Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2025
