First aid convoy finally sets off for Kurram after days-long delay

• FDMA dispatches 10 vehicles carrying relief goods in first phase.
• Sources say 2-3 convoys of relief goods will be sent within a week.
• Peace Committee assures govt of the safe passage of convoy.
  

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HANGU: The first aid convoy stranded in Tal for days has finally set off for Kurram to deliver relief goods to the residents of the Bagan area of the crisis-hit, officials told Geo News on Wednesday.

The Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) has dispatched 10 vehicles carrying tents, matresses, blankets, kitchen sets, and various other vital goods in the first phase.

Another convoy containing food supplies is also expected to depart for Parachinar today.

Sources further said that two to three additional convoys of relief goods will be sent to Kurram within a week.

The insiders further said that the Peace Committee has assured the government of the safe passage of the convoy and the Bagan affected residents of compensation for their losses. 

It has also assured the authorities of handing over the culprits involved in the attack on the Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud.

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 Mehsud in Lower Kurram’s Bagan area and a sit-in protest by local tribes in Mandori.

Authorities temporarily halted the convoy as tensions escalated, but no resolution was reached for four days.

The drivers, running out of patience, reportedly opted to return. Many of the vehicles, carrying perishable items, headed back, while others remained stationed in different parts of Tal.

Delay ‘compounding’ problems

Talking to The News, Hangu Deputy Commissioner Gohar Zaman Wazir late on Tuesday clarified that only vehicles loaded with perishable goods were sent back. He said that most of the vehicles in the convoy remained in place. 

Despite a ceasefire and peace agreement after months of unrest, residents of Kurram district are awaiting the arrival of essential food and medical supplies.

For the past four days, convoys loaded with relief goods were 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.