Perishable goods return from Thal as Parachinar routes remain blocked
Convoy delays compound crises in Kurram, causing food and medicine shortages
- Three more children reported dead due to an illness.
- Protest in Sadda demands union leader’s immediate release.
- Relief convoy stranded as routes remain blocked in Kurram.
KOHAT/PARACHINAR: The trucks loaded with goods destined for the restive Kurram district returned from Hangu’s Thal tehsil on Tuesday after a four-day wait due to ongoing security issues.
Frustrated by the lack of progress in getting the routes leading to Parachinar reopened, the drivers of the trucks, who had been waiting at Thal in Hangu district to proceed to Parachinar, decided to turn back, The News reported.
Efforts to send essential food supplies and other goods to various parts of Kurram district began on January 4. However, the operation faced setbacks after an attack on Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud in the Bagan area in Lower Kurram and a sit-in protest by local tribes in Mandori.
Authorities temporarily halted the convoy as tensions escalated, but no resolution was reached after four days.
The drivers, running out of patience, opted to return. Many of the vehicles, carrying perishable items, headed back, while others remained stationed in different parts of Thal.
Delay ‘compounding’ problems
Talking to The News, Hangu Deputy Commissioner Gohar Zaman Wazir clarified that only vehicles loaded with perishable goods were sent back. He said that most of the vehicles in the convoy remained in place and were awaiting clearance.
Despite a ceasefire and peace agreement after months of unrest, residents of Kurram district are still awaiting the arrival of essential food and medical supplies.
For the past four days, convoys loaded with relief goods have been stranded in Thal and are unable to proceed due to road closures. The delay is compounding the problems of the local people as there is an acute shortage of medicines.
The deaths of children and other patients were also reported due to a lack of proper treatment.
Lack of medical aid ‘causing deaths’
Social activist Ali Jawad said that three more children died from illness, bringing the total number of fatalities during the road closures to 221, including 147 children.
“The absence of food and medical aid is causing deaths. Immediate action is needed to prevent further losses,” he said.
Member National Assembly Hamid Hussain urged authorities to reopen the routes without delay and said: “The population has been under siege for three months. Further delays will deepen the suffering of the residents.
Immediate steps must be taken to ensure the supply of essential goods and medical assistance.”
The officials of the district administration said that Section 144 had been imposed in Kurram, and a sit-in outside the Parachinar Press Club recently ended.
However, they attributed the delay in convoy movement to an ongoing protest at the main road in Lower Kurram’s Mandori area. Tehsil Chairman Agha Muzzammil Hussain said that blocking food and medical supplies to the areas in Upper Kurram is inhumane.
Social worker Ameer Afzal Khan urged the government to immediately reopen the main routes for the delivery of food and medical supplies.
Meanwhile, protests erupted in Sadda, where shopkeepers demanded the release of Irshad Khan, the president of the local traders’ union, who was arrested for allegedly making fiery speeches.
