PESHAWAR, PARACHINAR: A day after the gun attack on Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government said the aid convoy scheduled to leave for Kurram on Saturday will now leave for the territory after a security clearance.
Speaking to a private television channel, KP government spokesman Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said he did not consider yesterday’s incident in Kurram a major setback and noted that the aid convoy would leave once it received security clearance.
His remarks come as a relief convoy containing essential goods for the crisis-hit Kurram district remains held up by vehicles parked in Tal due to the closure of the Parachinar-Tal road following the gun attack on Deputy Commissioner Kurram Javedullah Mehsud yesterday Saturday.
Meanwhile, the provincial government appointed Ashfaq Khan as deputy commissioner of Kurram after the attack on Mehsud.
The district administration confirmed that the convoy of 80 vehicles has not yet gone to the affected areas and will be dispatched as soon as the road is cleared.
Vehicles loaded with vital items, including medicines and other basic commodities of daily needs, were heading to the violence-torn area but were held back after the latest attack.
The uncertainty surrounding the rescue convoy continues amid the acute shortage of essentials in the district.
The Parachinar-Tal road was due to reopen a day early after three months following a peace deal signed on Wednesday by warring tribes whose clashes have claimed over 200 lives since July 2024.
However, hopes of Kurram’s 600,000 residents of getting much-needed supplies were dashed after gunmen opened fire, injuring DC Mehsud and six others, including Border Police, a policeman and four civilians.
Following the incident, the convoy was halted and spokesperson KP Saif said the vehicles would be allowed to proceed to Parachinar once the situation normalized.
Meanwhile, the deputy commissioner, who played a key role in efforts to restore peace in the troubled region, has since been airlifted to Peshawar and is undergoing treatment for his injuries.
As authorities said five persons involved in the attack have been identified, the Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur-led KP government has promised to take strict action against those involved in the attack.
Protesters, without seeing the arrival of relief goods, continue to stage a sit-in at the Parachinar Press Club, demanding the reopening of roads.
In this matter, Barrister Saif assured that the government will ensure peace as per the peace agreement and anti-peace elements will be dealt with iron hands.
A KP government spokesman termed the DC attack as an attempt to sabotage peace and said the aid convoy – whose vehicles are parked in Tal – was only stopped temporarily for security reasons and would be dispatched soon after receiving proper clearance.
He stressed that the government’s decision was not affected by Saturday’s unfortunate incident and recalled that the deputy commissioner was attacked while on his way to the Bagan area where people were holding a sit-in.
Giving details of the injured, Saif said that two DC guards were treated at Sadda while one was admitted to CMH Peshawar along with the Deputy Commissioner himself.
