DESPITE a ceasefire being in place, violence has continued in Kurram tribal district. The latest round of bloodshed was sparked by the deplorable attack on a convoy on Nov 21, and ever since, a retaliatory spiral of conflict has resulted in around 100 deaths, and many more injuries. Moreover, normal life in the area remains paralysed, as reports indicate there is a shortage of essentials including medicine, while schools also remain closed. Mobile services have been shut since the clashes first erupted. A KP government delegation had parachuted into the troubled region last week and managed to broker a seven-day truce, which was later extended. However, that effort has failed to stem the bloodshed as rival tribes, feuding over land, have continued to trade fire. Moreover, the sectarian dynamics of Kurram have turned the district into a powder keg, as any dispute has the potential to morph into communal violence. Sadly, the state’s efforts have lacked the wherewithal to bring stability to this sensitive region, and allow its people to live in peace.

Along with the KP government’s efforts to enforce a truce, the province’s governor has scheduled a multiparty conference on Dec 5 to discuss law and order across KP; the Kurram violence is also to be highlighted at this event. However, all tiers of government — the centre, the province, and the security apparatus — have taken a lackadaisical approach to the violence in the district, as the bodies continue to pile up. There are, of course, historical, geopolitical and religious factors behind the violence that cannot be addressed in a matter of days. However, as per the vision of the founder of this nation, the first duty of the state “is to maintain law and order”. In Kurram, as elsewhere in Pakistan, the state has miserably failed to do that. The coercive power of the government was on full display recently in Islamabad to counter a political protest. Yet the same urgency has not been applied to Kurram in order to warn armed actors that any loss of innocent life will be firmly dealt with. Heavy weapons can be found in abundance in the region, while the presence of sectarian fighters also complicates matters. But the state only promises the people that it will act. It is time these pledges were transformed into action.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2024