KURRAM: Two Fron­tier Corps (FC) personnel were martyred when unidentified shooters opened fire on Tall Scouts in the Char Khel area of Lower Kurram district on Monday, police sources said.

The attack was carried out at a time when half a million residents have been facing acute shortage of daily commodities due to uncertain situation in the district, with several roads closed and public transport off the road.

The police sources said that the FC personnel were deployed for the pro­tection of road users when some unidentified armed men attacked them. The two FC personnel suffered injuries in the attack and were rushed to Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Tall.

Later, police sources said both personnel could not survive.

Residents seek security instead of road closures, say children can’t go to school

Meanwhile, locals complained that roads were closed and patients could not be transported to hospitals, adding that there was acute shortage of medicines in the area.

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Medical superintendent of district headquarters hospital of Parachinar, Dr Syed Meer Hassain Jan, said that patients, who could not be treated at the DHQ were required to be referred to other hospitals, but they could not be transported due to closure of roads.

The residents said instead of closures, roads should be secured. They complained that children could not go to schools due to closed roads. They said that in areas where schools were open, the students could not be transported due to shortage of fuel in the area.

Farmers lamented that since roads were closed, seeds could not be transported to the district timely besides there was also acute shortage of fertilisers in the area.

Also, traders and goods transporters dem­a­nded immediate opening of roads. They said that Kharlachi border crossing with Afghanis­tan was also closed, adding that the routes should be secured for durable peace in the area.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2024