After six days of tense situation in Karam district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after a successful jirga between the local elders and the district administration, both sides have announced a ceasefire.
The ceasefire was confirmed by the Assistant Commissioner of Upper Karam, Hafeezullah, who was also part of the Jirga. Assistant Commissioner Hafeezullah told Independent Urdu that the clashes have stopped after the ceasefire at all the five places where the clashes were going on between the parties.
So far 10 people have lost their lives on behalf of both sides in these clashes while more than 30 have been injured.
He said, ‘These six days were very tough, but with the efforts of Jirga members, district administration and security forces, Jirga elders of Hangu and Kohat led by Deputy Commissioner Kohat made both sides agree to cease fire.’
According to Hafeezullah, a peace agreement or ‘tiga’ (according to Pashtun tradition in any issue when the Jirga gives a time to resolve the issue by making a peace agreement) was made in the Jirga and this agreement will be in effect for one year.
Both the parties were fighting against each other for the last six days and according to Hafeezullah, all the fronts have been cleared and now the fronts have been taken over by the Pakistan Army and Police.
What are the terms of the contract?
A peace agreement has been signed by the leaders of both sides which states:
The agreement will be valid for one year, according to the Assistant Commissioner, a fine of Rs 12 crore will be levied on the party for violating any provision of the peace agreement. It will be pointed out to the district administration if anyone supported the accused then he will also be considered as accused
What was the conflict?
In Kurram district, the disputes over communal land are not new, but some disputes have been going on for centuries. Clashes broke out between the Bushehra and Dindar tribes six days ago over one such land dispute.
According to the local journalist Irshad Hussain Turi, the reason for these clashes was that the members of one tribe started some constructions on the annexed land, and the members of the other tribe tried to stop them and thus it reached armed clashes.
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According to Assistant Commissioner Upper Karam Hafeezullah, seven people were killed and around 19 injured in clashes between tribes of Bushehra and Dindar six days ago. But last week, these clashes stopped when the district administration and security forces agreed to the two sides through a jirga and made them vacate the fronts.
However, during a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday, the leaders of Majlis Wahdat al-Muslimeen said that after the ceasefire in Bushehra and Dindar areas of Upper Kurram, some miscreants have resumed clashes in Balish Khel and Miroks of Lower Kurram. Gone.
Similarly, after the clashes started in Lower Karam, clashes also started between the two tribes in Piwar and Teri Mangal areas of Para Chinar area of Upper Karam.
Piwar and Teri Mangal are the same areas where seven people, including six teachers, were shot dead inside a school some time ago.
A land dispute has been going on for a long time between two tribes of Bushehra and Dunder villages (District Administration).
There is also a land dispute between the Piwar and Tri Mangal tribes that has been going on for centuries, and the area has witnessed occasional clashes between the two factions.
Where have there been clashes?
Local journalist Nabi Jan Orakzai, who is currently in Sada area of Kurram district, informed Independent Urdu about the situation over phone yesterday. According to him, after Bushehra and Dindar areas, the clashes had spread to Piwar and Teri Mangal areas of Upper Kurram and the clashes between the tribes in Meru Kis and Balash Khel of Lower Kurram started after that.
Nabi Jan said that the parties blame each other for violent incidents and also demand the police to punish the accused involved in these incidents.
He said that yesterday he was present in Sada Bazaar when a mortar shell was fired which fell about three hundred meters away from us. “We survived but since then all government offices including educational institutes, passport office, NADRA office, private education and markets have been closed,” he said.
Nabi Jan said, ‘The internet was shut down across the district which is still shut down. Educational institutions are also closed while all government offices are also closed while there is an atmosphere of fear in the area and efforts were being made by the leaders of both parties to resolve the situation through Jirga.
Similarly, according to the Assistant Commissioner of Upper Karam, Hafeezullah, there was a series of clashes between the tribes of Bogha and Badama.
Apart from this, there were also clashes between the parties in Muqbal and Kunj Alizai, and now a ceasefire has been declared in all places.
According to a press release of the Home Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, disputes over annexed land at eight places in Karam district have existed since the partition of India and a commission has been formed to resolve it.
According to the press release, the commission has already made two visits to the disputed land and the third visit is now scheduled to be conducted soon to resolve the issue.