Warring rivals agree on seven-day truce in strife-torn Parachinar
Pakistan
A government jirga met tribal elders and reviewed proposals for resolving conflict
PARACHINAR (Dunya News) - Warring rivals on Sunday agreed on a seven-day truce in strife-torn Parachinar, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, after dozens of people were killed in a bitter gunfights, Dunya News reported.
The government jirga, headed by Barrister Saif, returned to Peshawar from Kurram Agency. The jirga met tribal elders and reviewed proposals for resolving the conflict.
According to sources, both sides have agreed to a seven-day ceasefire, during which they will also exchange prisoners and return bodies to each another.
Earlier on Thursday, the Kurram DPO informed media that a convoy of vehicles coming from Peshawar to Parachinar came under fire in the Ucheat area. Automatic weapons were used by the gunmen, he added.
On Saturday, a firing incident occurred near the helicopter carrying members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government delegation in Parachinar.
No damage or injuries were reported in the incident which the Kohat deputy commissioner described as a "routine".
According to sources, the delegation, led by Provincial Law Minister Advocate Aftab Alam, was in Parachinar to attend a jirga held to address local issues. The chief secretary and other senior officials attended the jirga.
BLOODLETTING IN KURRAM
More than 50 people were killed and several others injured when gunmen opened fire on a number of passenger vehicles in Lower Kurram on Thursday last.
According to foreign media, over 50 people, including three women, died on the spot. Several injured were taken to nearby hospitals where the condition of many had been described as serious.
A vociferous protest ensued in the area which led to further clash. Many casualties took place in the clash.
Police and rescue teams reached the spot, sealed the area and launched a search for the attackers.
UN SECRETARY GENERAL CONDEMNS ATTACK
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned attack in Kurram district and called for bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“The Secretary-General stresses that attacks against civilians are unacceptable,” his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement he read out at the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday.
