Kurram deal — Haqqanis’ Afghan insurance policy

Kurram deal — Haqqanis' Afghan insurance policy

From the Newspaper 

Saturday 19th February 2011 | Rabi-ul-Awwal 15, 1432

ISLAMABAD, Feb 18: No doubt, the Kurram peace deal, which has eased tension in the valley and ended the four-year blockade of the main Thall-Parachinar road and caused jubilation among tribesmen, but it is yet to be seen how long the pact holds ground and helps to maintain normalcy in the region.

It is an open secret that the Haqqani group, one of the outfits on the most wanted list of the US government, brokered the deal between sectarian factions. Commander Jalaluddin Haqqani's younger brothers – Ibrahim and Khalil – played a key role in brokering the agreement.

While Haqqani's efforts for restoration of peace in this strategically important part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) have amazed local population, it has worried the Afghan government.

When Haqqani group's contacts with the dominant Turi tribe in Kurram Agency were reported in the national and international media, senior officials of the Afghan government contacted elders and expressed concerns over the possibility of 'some concessions' being given to the group for strategic purposes in return for lifting the blockade of the area.

Before the deal was announced, the Afghan authorities invited local elders for talks which were held in Afghanistan's Paktia province. A senior Afghan official conveyed the concerns about the Haqqani group being provided some space in Kurram. "We dismissed Afghan government's apprehensions," said a source privy to the meeting. The Afghan official was told that the Haqqani group neither demanded any facilities nor the Turis were willing to give their territory to be used for launching activities across the border.

Background interviews and information gathered from various sources reveal that the Haqqani network is the main guarantor of the deal. The security establishment was on board and facilitated the process. In fact the six-point peace agreement was signed in Murree in October 2008, but its implementation was withheld for some unknown reasons.

Two parliamentarians from Kurram deposited Rs40 million with the Haqqanis as surety, according to the sources. Under the deal, the government also pledged a compensation package to win over the local people.

The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), one of the major actors in the three-year bloodshed, has accepted the deal, reportedly half-heartedly.

The sources said the TTP was not in favour of the agreement, but Commander Fazal Saeed, in-charge of the banned group, finally bowed to pressure and announced support for the deal at a press conference.

According to one source, Commander Fazal, who carries a head money of Rs5 million, was given a stern warning – "Either you are with us or with the other side (TTP)."

Kurram has been returning to normality since the announcement of the agreement. People have started travelling on the Thall-Parachinar Road without security convoys. Members of the tribal jirga headed by former federal minister Waris Khan Afridi are shuttling between Parachinar and Sadda discussing modalities for the complete implementation of the deal. But long-term prospects of the deal are still unclear. The return of the internally displaced families, their rehabilitation and compensation to be paid to them are major issues which require lots of patience and resources.

Haqqanis' expectations

What can be the motives of the Haqqani group in reaching the peace deal? Sources said that during negotiations the Haqqani brothers never demanded any concession in return for opening the main road.

"Sure, Haqqanis have admitted that situation in Kurram had affected their cause in Afghanistan, but never sought route or passage through Upper Kurram," said one source involved in the talks.

The Haqqani group started mediation between the elders of Turi and Bangash tribes in early 2009 when militants lost Bagzai, their main stronghold in Lower Kurram. Negotiations, however, remained inconclusive.

Residents of Upper and Lower Kurram were given some concessions, including a partial opening of the main highway and resumption of chartered flights between Peshawar and Parachinar.

But at the same time, the border with Afghanistan in Upper and Lower Kurram was sealed and supply of food items, fuel and other essential goods was stopped. Convoys were attacked on the Thall-Parachinar Road.

The sources said that clashes in Shalozan Tungi area near the Afghan border in September 2010 was the turning point.

"Shalozan was their (militants) last hope, which they thought could put them into a bargaining position," they said, "but they failed again," adding that when all options of subduing the local population failed the strategy was changed.

An elder who is familiar with recent arrangements said that the Haqqani network undertook initiatives for restoration of peace in Kurram Agency against the backdrop of growing understanding between President Hamid Karzai and those who had influence over Pakistan's Afghan policy.

Now, an option for securing stakes for the Haqqani network in Afghanistan's future political settlement is being reviewed at the highest level. The option is to give the group some share in power in Afghanistan's southern provinces, which will end violence in the volatile Kurram Agency.

About the Haqqani network's offers, the elder said that even its affiliates would help the government in maintaining peace in Hangu and Dera Ismail Khan districts, which are facing the worst type of sectarian violence.

To that end, the Haqqani network will use its influence over rouge sectarian elements, which are part of their operations, to end attacking innocent civilians. "If the formula works in Kurram then it can be replicated in other troubled areas," he remarked.

 

SOURCE:  http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/19/kurram-deal-haqqanis-afghan-insurance-policy.html

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Poetic sessions welcoming peace in Kurram conclude

 

Poetic sessions welcoming peace in Kurram conclude

Saturday, February 19, 2011

 

PARACHINAR: The three-day poetry recital sessions (mushairas) held in an open venue in the lap of the snow-capped Spinghar mountain range to celebrate return of peace in Kurram Agency has concluded.

At the mushaira, local poets recited poems to highlight the critical situation that prevailed in the area and hailed efforts for restoration of peace and reopening of the main Parachinar-Thall road.

The poetry recital sessions were organised by the literary society, Spinghar Adabi Tolana, to welcome the recent peace agreement reached between the Shia and Sunni communities and re-opening of the roads in Kurram Agency after a closure for four years. The organisers of the event including Yousaf Khan, Sher Alam Noori and Aziz Khamosh representing a group of literati in the area, said more such events would be arranged to promote peace and harmony in Kurram Agency.

Addressing the concluding session of the mushaira, Kurram Agency's Political Agent Syed Musadiq Shah and Assistant Political Agent Muhammad Fakharuddin said not only the poets but also every individual must play a role for peace in Fata.

They urged the tribal elders from both Sunni and Shia communities to use their influence to jointly work for the cause of peace in the interest of the residents who suffered a lot for the last few years due to violence.

The Political Agent said the roads had been re-opened in Kurram Agency after the peace agreement and now the government was striving hard to further consolidate the hard won peace. He added in this connection peace talks were regularly held with the local elders from both the communities to sort out further issues like repatriation of the displaced persons.

The mushaira was attended by a large number of poets. They included Khayal Shah Khayal, Arif Jan, Noor Ghulam Noori, Sultan Ali Sahar, Jalal Hussain Bangash, Mehdi Karobi, Yousaf Maranj and Dilfagar Turi.

The local elders including Prof Jamil Kazmi, senior journalist Ali Afzal Afzal and Syed Zahid Ali Shah paid glowing tributes to the poets for promoting peace in the area. Meanwhile, talking to reporters the poets urged the US to stop killing innocent people in Pakistan. "America is using all its cards to save the life of Raymond Davis, who is a killer of two innocent Pakistanis. But there is no sympathy for those killed in the name of war on terror in the tribal areas," one of the poets said.

source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=31867&Cat=7&dt=2/19/2011

A Haqqani-brokered peace in Kurram agency?

By Daud Khattak, February 17, 2011

It would seem that Machiavellian politics have finally won out in the Pakistani tribal agency of Kurram; last week, leaders from Kurram's Shi'a Muslim community (located mostly in Upper Kurram) finally came to an agreement with their Sunni Muslim rivals (located mostly in Lower and Central Kurram) - through the intervention of the powerful insurgent network led by famed mujahideen Jalaluddin Haqqani - to put an end to the four-year-old sectarian war that has claimed roughly 3,000 lives according to various media reports, with thousands more displaced and nearly 50 villages burned to the ground as a result of the fighting.

Deadly sectarian clashes have been taking place in Kurram since at least 1987; however, the situation worsened following the emergence of different groups of Taliban under the leadership of Hakimullah Mehsud and Mullah Toofan in the neighboring Waziristan and Orakzai agencies and other tribal districts after the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in late 2001. Over the years, the Shi'a of Kurram have accused various Taliban groups and the Pakistani security establishment of lending support to their Sunni enemies, while the Sunnis accuse their rivals of drawing financial and material support from Iran, the country that once narrowly avoided a full-fledged war with Afghanistan during Taliban rule.

Nine mini-wars have taken place in the agency since 2001, with the latest, started in November 2007, only ending with last week's truce. During that period, the Shi'a populated areas remained cut off from rest of Pakistan, as the road leading from Peshawar to Parachinar, the main town in Upper Kurram, passes through Sunni-populated settled districts which prevented Shi'a access to the road. Thus communication with and travel to Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province was only available by a road that runs through the Afghan cities of Khost, Gardez, Kabul and Jalalabad.

This circuitous route meant a roughly 18-hour journey to Peshawar from Parachinar. Besides being expensive, such a trip requires an enormous risk given the instability in these areas of south-eastern Afghanistan. By contrast, a normal journey from Parachinar to Peshawar on Pakistan's roads takes an average four hours.

Among other factors, the truce, achieved after four months of extensive negotiations between representatives of the two sects, elected legislators from the area, and key elders from other tribes, can be attributed to the direct involvement of Haqqani network, based in the Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal agency.

Though the Shi'a representative and elected member of the Pakistan National Assembly from Kurram, Sajid Hussain Turi, rejected the involvement of the Haqqani network or any other Taliban group in negotiating the truce, some elders privy to the talks indicated to the author that Fazal Haidar Haqqani, a grandson of the ailing Jalaluddin, was the key figure pressuring leaders of the two sects to sign the peace accord. One elder told the author that Fazal Haidar once warned the negotiating parties that a deal could not be achieved without Haqqani support, and local and international media have also mentioned the involvement of two other Haqqani family members, Ibrahim and Khalil Haqqani, in the negotiations.

The Haqqani pressure seems to have guaranteed the peace deal's acceptance by all parties in the conflict. Interestingly, the first congratulatory note on the peace agreement came from the Kurram Taliban, known before for their hatred of Shi'a both in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Fazal Saeed, head of the Taliban in Kurram and a man worth 5 million Pakistani Rupee in reward money, told a news conference that violators of the accord would be punished under the Sharia Laws.

It is unlikely that the Taliban and Haqqani network suddenly believe in Sunni-Shi'a peace, or wish to leave the Shi'a alone. Rather, the accord seems to be more of a marriage of convenience than the beginning of a true 'Love Story' between the rival sects with the prevailing situation in the tribal belt and strategic location of Kurram Agency both explaining the sudden militant Sunni interest in a cessation of sectarian conflict.

Besides having a long, triangle-shaped border with Afghanistan in the its north, west and south, Kurram is also adjoins the Khyber and Orakzai tribal districts in the north and the settled district of Hangu and North Waziristan tribal agency in the south.

The increasing number of drone attacks and U.S. pressure on the Pakistani government to launch an operation in North Waziristan has further increased the strategic importance of Kurram Agency, particularly for the Taliban and Haqqani network. Kurram could be used as a junction to go forth and back into Khyber, Orakzai and Waziristan agencies on one hand, and Afghanistan and the settled districts of Pakistan on the other. However, this back-and-forth transit depends on peace with and readiness on part of the Shi'a to allow the Taliban to cross their areas.

This strategic positioning meant the Haqqanis needed to win the goodwill of the local Shi'a in order to guarantee safe passage through their areas.

When the Taliban in Central Kurram closed the major road through the region over the past four years, the Shi'a population suffered from shortages of  food and medicine (although arms supplies continued to reach the area), and their schools and hospitals were closed. The Haqqani pressure during the peace negotiations has helped re-open the road, a move intended to further expand their influence and improve their relationship with the Shi'a. The Haqqanis also intervened last July to win the release of six Shi'a kidnapped by their Sunni rivals. According to local journalists who spoke to the author, the Shi'a finally agreed, though not publicly, that they would let Taliban pass through their areas (if not allowing them to stay) in case the Pakistani security forces launch an operation in North Waziristan.

Keeping the past mistreatment of Pakistani and Afghan Shi'a populations by the Taliban and affiliates, the Haqqani network and the Shi'a of Kurram will never be friends; but through lengthy negotiation and careful diplomacy, it seems that the Haqqanis, or their supporters, have secured enough future cooperation, or acquiescence, to ensure their continued ability to operate in Pakistan's tribal regions. 

 

SOURCE:   http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/16/a_haqqani_brokered_peace_in_kurram_agency

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Amn mushaira held in Parachinar

 

  

Amn mushaira held in Parachinar

PARACHINAR: To celebrate the reopening of the road after four consecutive years of tension in Kurram Agency and blockade of Thall-Parachinar Road, an 'Amn Mushaira' or a poetry recital session for peace was organised by Speenghar Adabi Jirga at Maikaykhel Tuesday.

Kurram Agency Political Agent Syed Musadiq Shah and APA of Upper Kurram Muhammad Fakhruddin presided over the session. Sitting on a snow covered open area the poets paid tributes to the elders for bringing about peace in the area and also expressed the full support to the administration through their poems.

Participants appreciated the step for peace and development of the area and sought more mushairas for decreasing tension and promoting peace. The elders of the area also attended the event and vowed to organise such events till the restoration of permanent peace in the area. Participants were entertained by Turi Dance and music programme at the end. Local press club also played a pivotal role in organising the event, which was appreciated by poets and officials in their speeches.

 

SOURCE:  http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=31486&Cat=7&dt=2/16/2011

 

Over Rs1 billion being spent in Kurram Agency

Published: February 14, 2011

Communications, agriculture, health and education receiving bulk of funding.

PESHAWAR: Scores of development projects and schemes worth more than Rs1 billion have been initiated in flood and militancy-hit Kurram Agency.

The government has set Rs1.37 billion for uplift in the "Valley of Chinars", out of the Rs15 billion approved for Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) Annual Development Programme 2010-11.

The projects will focus on rebuilding educational institutes, hospitals, basic health units, roads and schemes related to forestry, livestock, agriculture and clean drinking water, official sources told APP on Sunday.

The development strategy includes improving existing infrastructure and building new roads and bridges. The government will also focus on improving existing education, health and drinking water facilities.

Official sources said the government is paying special attention to rebuilding schools and colleges damaged by militants and has launched several projects for their repair and reconstruction.

The buildings of Government College for Women and Government College for Boys in Lower Kurram and the Government Girls Degree College in Alizai will be upgraded to ensure provision of quality education to children living nearby, a government official said.

The primary schools will be upgraded to middle level and community schools will be made all over the agency, the official added.

The government wants to open up the remote and inaccessible areas of Kurram Agency to potential business ventures. For this they are planning on widening and blacktopping various roads connecting different areas of the agency to the major highways.

For provision of clean drinking water, the government has already completed several water supply schemes. Tube wells have also been set up.

The government will set up a farm centre in the agency to try and maximise the amount of land under cultivation. People will be encouraged to adapt modern agriculture practices enabling them to grow even off-season vegetables (thus increasing their earning potential), the official said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2011.

 

SOURCE:  http://tribune.com.pk/story/118399/over-rs1-billion-being-spent-in-kurram-agency/

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Taliban in charge? 

Published: February 13, 2011

We should not need a militant outfit to enforce peace agreements. PHOTO: AFP

Sometimes one is forced to wonder who is in control of this country. A few days after Shia and Sunni tribal elders from Kurram Agency reached a peace agreement in Islamabad, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief in the agency, Fazal Saeed, told a press conference (addressed from a secret location) that his organisation would ensure that the peace deal was respected and would punish violators if the government or the jirga failed to do so. Coming from an organisation that is banned and guilty of crimes of the most horrendous nature, the whole thing seems a little high-handed, to put it mildly — as if the TTP is presiding over a government which is subservient to it.

The situation should not be taken lightly. The authorities need to assert the writ of state. We should not need a militant outfit to enforce peace agreements or act in other ways to keep order. The situation also demonstrates that, many months after the task to wage war on them began, the TTP remains an active, confident force, able to make its voice heard and impress on people the notion that it is fully in command of swathes of territory and, as such, in charge of their lives, determining whether or not it agrees with certain peace deals and warning that it is willing to mete out punishments under 'Sharia', or rather its interpretation of it.

All this is farcical. We have lost control of our country to a band of thugs. The territories they hold need to be wrested back from them. The government needs to ensure that it is the force in charge of affairs rather than a redundant entity with no real ability to influence events in large tracts of the country. This would amount to chaos — and we seem to be descending towards it at a perilous pace.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2011.

 

SOURCE:  http://tribune.com.pk/story/118298/taliban-in-charge/

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Let peace take roots in Kurram

EDITORIAL  (February 13, 2011) : Peace has finally returned to the strife-stricken Kurram Agency, tempting the beleaguered residents to celebrate the event. On Tuesday, as the erstwhile deadly foes were warmly received and garlanded in their rivals' camps, the citizenry poured unto streets all over the Agency and tasted sweets.

The crucial lifeline to the area, Thall-Parachinar road, has been reopened for traffic after nearly four years of forced closure by the militants. And, above all, the Tehreek-e-Taliban of Pakistan (TTP), largely accused of fomenting sectarian trouble in the region by pitting Sunnis against Shias, has welcomed the new development; in fact, it has even sounded a warning that no one would be allowed to bear arms on the main road.

The credit for restoring peace goes to the tribal elders, who had laid the basis for peace some two years back when they clinched the Murree Peace Accord. But peace remained a reluctant arrival as the area was in the grip of sectarian strife costing over 3,000 deaths over the last three years. Given the hard times the ordinary people of the Agency have faced, living in literally quarantined conditions, it is our hope that the newly restored peace would survive, and over time, flourish.

The Kurram Agency has immense potential, in terms of men and material, to grow into an economic leader for the entire FATA region. Also, we hope the peace and amity between the rival sectarian communities of Kurram Agency, which was never short on sectarian violence, would prove to be infectious for the entire country.

But as we see the glass half full, it is also half empty; like many other peace accords stitched by the tribal elders, the Kurram Agency peace will remain under threat of disruption. There is a viewpoint that by 'welcoming' the Sunni-Shia peace accord, the Taliban have tried to convey that it is they who brought it about and its survival would remain hostage to their support and sponsorship.

There is also an opinion that the Taliban's patronage mainly stems from their motive to keep the 'hinterland' for the Haqqani network's anti-Isaf activities across the border. Yes, the said group wields a lot of influence in the area and has forces in the contiguous areas in Pakistan sympathetic to its cause, but it would be too simplistic to suggest that the ages old sectarian strife in Kurram Agency is a by-product of the Afghan situation.

The fact should not be overlooked that the peace accord signed by the Sunni-Shia leaders was greatly assisted by a prominent tribal leader Malik Waris Khan Afridi, a former federal minister, with active participation of a local political agent. The entire thing has been worked out in line with the tribal system of resolving disputes between tribes - which in this case also happen to be of different sectarian denominations.

Newly arrived peace in Kurram Agency has to be fortified by adding supports attractive enough for the people of the area to weigh in for its continuity. That may appear to be difficult in the present circumstances when a part of the highway to regional capital city Parachinar remains under the threat of disruption flowing from the adjoining tribal areas. But once the Thall-Parachinar section is pliable, the rest would be manageable by the security forces.

The people in the entire region are hungry for the normalcy of the situation so that they can come out of their besieged conditions. The revival of border town Kharlachi's potential to regain its clout as a principal timber market on the Pak-Afghan border and Parachinar's tourist attraction should take no time now that peace has returned. Equally, critical input for the revival of normal life in Kurram Agency is the appointment of a new governor of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Granted the outgoing incumbent Owais Ahmad Ghani was always open to new ideas and suggestions for the betterment of the people in FATA, which the governor of KP rules directly as the president's representative, but he had a certain mindset shaped by the ethos popular in the Musharraf era. But that is no more the case, Governor Masood Kauser doesn't carry any baggage and his maiden remarks as the new governor that 'Our priority should be to bring peace to the tribal areas' are expected to create a more realistic approach to restoring normalcy in this troubled region of great strategic importance to Pakistan.

 

SOURCE:  http://www.brecorder.com/news/editorials/1154623:news.html

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The future of the Kurram Accord

The future of the Kurram Accord

 

Why has the Fata jirga concluded an accord between the Sunnis and Shias under the authority of the taliban and not under the authority of the governmant of Pakistan. PHOTO: EPA

On Friday 3 February, 2011, a jirga composed of the elders of Fata announced a peace accord between Shias and Sunnis at Parachinar, the headquarters of the Kurram Agency. What has happened immediately to disarm suspicion is the opening of the Parachinar-Tal Road that has isolated the Shia community of Kurram since 2007 and exposed them to harm, as they tried to go to their homes through Afghanistan. The jirga has appealed to the government of Pakistan to ensure the execution of the accord, meaning clearly that it should re-establish its writ in the agency and ensure that the roads opened through a cross-sectarian agreement are safe from the Taliban adventurers known to be under no single command. One guarantor of the accord is a Taliban commander in Kurram, Fazal Saeed, declaring that "anyone violating the new accord would be punished according to shariah."

Does this mean that both the Shias and Sunnis will observe the accord under the authority of the Taliban? Why has the Fata jirga concluded this accord between the two warring sects under the authority of the Taliban and not under the authority of the government of Pakistan? And if the Taliban are going to implement the accord how will the Shias — whom they consider apostate from Islam — submit themselves to their authority except as second-class citizens?

The government moved first in the direction of alleviating the suffering of Kurram in 2008. It got the two sects together in Murree and signed its own accord. This accord pledged the warring parties to vacate their forward positions, disarm their warriors and allow the Shia IDPs to return home in peace. The government was the guarantor of the accord but it decided not to act after the Taliban attacked the Shias again. After that, as Baitullah was succeeded by Hakimullah as head of the Taliban, the killings actually doubled. Interior Minister Rehman Malik gave the Taliban a 72-hour 'ultimatum' to cease offences and get out; when they did not, he simply forgot Kurram.

For all his talent at sorting out issues, Rehman Malik was overreaching himself. He was not aware that the peace at Kurram would come only after the army reclaimed the agency from the Taliban. The Kurram Shia community dropped out of the radar of Pakistan's strategy when they refused to take part in General Zia's covert war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. The general allowed the Sunni mujahideen to sort out the Kurram Shias before he died. The Shia leader Ariful Hussaini, who General Zia was accused of killing in Peshawar, was a Turi from Kurram. Zia allowed a similar massacre of the Shias in Gilgit the same year.

To some, the army has its reasons for not caring for the sufferings of the Kurram Shias, who form 40 per cent of Kurram's population of one million. Since their 'strategic abandonment', they have fled in trickles to cities like Tal, Hangu and Kohat in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where there are now significant pockets of Shia population. This area is now the target of the Taliban. An informally named ghetto, Shiagarh, has been an obvious target, located just 10 miles from Kohat going to the city of Hangu.

The Shias of Kurram Agency or Hangu travelling to Peshawar through Darra Adam Khel have been intercepted by the Taliban and beheaded, while Shias have, at times, blocked the Kohat-Hangu road and kidnapped Sunnis to exchange for the kidnapped Shias in Darra Adam Khel. The Taliban have come as far as Peshawar to put down a Shia leader, knowing that the Shias fleeing from Kurram have also landed with their friends in Peshawar. In Kohat, such notorious persons — including one particular ex-MNA known for his alleged links to al Qaeda and for his nexus with Lal Masjid in Islamabad — are known to be behind attacks on Shias. Pakistan's paramilitary forces fight the Taliban, but every time the latter catch hold of our paramilitaries, they release the Sunnis on the basis of some swap deal but behead the Shias. The Kurram accord has little chance of holding unless the Shias swear allegiance to the Taliban against Pakistan. For the time being, however, they must wait, like the people of North Waziristan, for the writ of the state to return to their region.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2011.

 

SOURCE:  http://tribune.com.pk/story/117943/the-future-of-the-kurram-accord/

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Peace in Kurram Agency

 

Peace in Kurram Agency

By Asad Munir

Published: February 12, 2011

The writer is a retired brigadier who has served in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata asad.munir@tribune.com.pk

Sectarian hostility in Kurram Agency dates back to the British era. Muharram in Parachinar has not been a peaceful event for many years now. Before the advent of sectarian organisations, like the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Muhammad, sectarian conflict was common in Kurram Agency. Intertribal issues such as distribution of water, cutting of wood and denial of road access, ultimately morphed into sectarian conflict. Minor conflicts were witnessed almost every year, while major sectarian clashes erupted in 1982, 1996 and 2007. The Iranian revolution, the entry of Sunni Afghan refugees and the influx of lethal weapons during the Afghan jihad are some of the factors contributing to the intensity and frequency of sectarian violence.

In the 1982 sectarian clashes more than 60 Shia families were displaced from Sadda, a Sunni dominated area and they were forced to migrate to Parachinar, a Shia dominated area. In 1990, a jirga gave a verdict for the resettlement of displaced Shias and the return of their property. However, this decision was never implemented. By 2006, the Taliban had penetrated the Sunni areas of central and lower Kurram. Local Taliban, controlled by the Taliban of South Waziristan, emerged in these areas. In April 2007, participants of a Sunni procession in upper Kurram, raised objectionable slogans against Shias. The Shias reacted and took out a protest procession in Parachinar. Some people fired on this procession and this led to sectarian clashes, which spread to other parts of the Agency. In November 2007, violence erupted again after unidentified people attacked the central mosque in Parachinar, where Sunnis were offering Friday prayers. Hundreds of people from both sects were killed during these clashes and 40 villages were destroyed. More than 3,000 families were displaced. The Thall-Parachinar Road remained closed for almost four years.

A grand Jirga comprising of representatives from all tribal agencies as well as the parliamentarian from Kurram, was constituted in 2008. With the efforts of the Jirga, the Murree Peace Accord was signed by the warring factions in October of the same year.

There were elements within and outside the agency, including the Taliban, who never wanted this accord to be implemented. As a result of hectic efforts, the opponents of the accord were brought on board and the main issue of opening the Thall-Parachinar Road has been resolved, raising the hopes of locals about having a lasting peace in the area.

Both sects have signed a number of peace accords in the past, but these were violated. Only time will tell whether this accord, will bring lasting peace to the Agency. The extent of suffering the people have endured, the huge losses incurred and the duration of this conflict, are some of the reasons which may force the people from both sects to honour this accord. Sectarian conflict may not disappear all together, but the accord may help in preventing violence on a large scale.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2011.

 

SOURCE:  http://tribune.com.pk/story/117541/peace-in-kurram-agency/

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Kurram peace deal

Kurram peace deal

Friday, February 11, 2011

The fact that the peace deal between the elders of the Sunni and Shia sects in Kurram Agency was welcomed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan ought to act as a warning bell for the government. This declaration of support for peace in the area redefines the role of the militants. Those who were once considered the most dangerous villains are now becoming heroes involved in maintaining peace. That the local populace is fed up with the unrest is understandable, but the need for the Taliban to endorse such a deal is not a good sign. Their terror network has become shaky, no doubt about it, but from this arises a simultaneous need to control the area through whatever means possible. And now the peace deal has provided them a perfect opportunity to enter the power structure.

It has to be seen whether this accord will bring the harmony it promises. Will an accord buttressed by terrorists themselves actually reduce sectarian friction to unite the populace under one umbrella?

Kabil Khan

Peshawar

SOURCE: http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=30476&Cat=11

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