After days of long uncertainty over the supply of supplies, the first convoy of food and humanitarian goods arrived in crisis-hit Parachinar in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday. Deputy Commissioner Kurram Ashfaq Khan released a video statement saying the peaceful arrival of the humanitarian convoy was welcomed. He also urged people to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and remain calm. KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said that 40 vehicles with relief items were dispatched after successful negotiations with local protesters. The Grand Jirga, Kurram Peace Committee and local peace committees played a key role in the negotiations, the spokeswoman said. Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Zahid Usman Kakakhel said people were happy when the convoy reached Parachinar peacefully. Like the rescue convoy, the ADC said that a step should be taken for the convoy of passengers to ease the hardships of the citizens. The development comes after the Parachinar convoy that was supposed to be dispatched last week was stopped following an attack on Kurram DC Javedullah Mehsud in Bagan area that resulted in injuries to five people along with the DC. Barrister Saif said after the attack that a convoy would be dispatched once conditions returned to normal. The development comes amid an acute shortage of medicines and other essential items in the district, which was declared a “disaster” by the KP government last month amid tribal clashes that have claimed more than 200 lives since July 2024. Prolonged road closures, attributed by the provincial government to security concerns, have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis facing Kurram’s more than 600,000 residents. The departure of the convoy comes after the two warring tribes signed a peace deal aimed at bringing peace on Wednesday last week. The 14-point agreement calls for the surrender of weapons and the dismantling of bunkers, while within 15 days – counted from the day of signing the peace agreement – a committee will be established to start implementing the agreement.
