Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Restoration of mobile phone network sought

 
 
 
Our correspondent
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 
 
PARACHINAR: Fata chapters of Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) have asked the government to restore the mobilephone network in Kurram Agency immediately.

In a joint statement on Monday, tribal leader of MQM Muhammad Turi and ANP President Daulat Ali Khan said the mobile phone service had been suspended since last year due to which people were facing problems.

They said that the people working with the mobile companies had also been rendered jobless. They said that landline phone service was the only source of communication in the area but it remained out of order most of the time. Lauding the restoration of the mobile phone network in Dera Ismail Khan after two years, they demanded of the government to restore it in Kurram Agency also.
 

at 19:57 0 comments

Elders meet today to salvage Kurram peace deal

Elders meet today to salvage Kurram peace deal

Bureau Report | From the Newspaper
 
PESHAWAR: The interlocutors and guarantors of Kurram peace deal will meet in Islamabad on Tuesday to chalk out a strategy for recovery of 35 passengers, who were kidnapped from Thall-Parachinar Road last month.
They will discuss ways to salvage the peace agreement that collapsed only after month it was put into effect. "The stakeholders will sit together to find out solution to lingering issue of Kurram," Malik Waris Khan Afridi, former federal minister and head of the jirga that brokered peace agreement, told Dawn on Monday.
Well informed sources said that some outsiders, who were guarantors of the peace deal, were expected to attend the crucial talks to be held at an undisclosed place in the federal capital.
Mr Afridi also confirmed participation of main guarantors in the negotiations. The elders of rival tribes would also take part in the talks. He said that recovery of the 35 kidnapped people and compensation package worth Rs1 billion for the affected families of Kurram were on the agenda of the jirga.
The jirga will discuss breach of peace deal and kidnapping on Thal-Parachinaar Road, which was reopened in February this year after a four-year closure. Militants had attacked three vehicles heading from Peshawar to Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram, in Baggun on March 26.
Three people were killed and two others got injuries while 35 passengers were kidnapped in the incident. The whereabouts of kidnapped people is still unknown and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
According to sources a local militant group is believed to have hand in the kidnapping as it wants to force government for accepting its demands, including release of its members. However, Mr Afridi said that he didn`t know about the kidnappers and their motives.
Sajid Hussain Turi, a parliamentarian from Kurram, said that recovery of the kidnapped persons was on the top of jirga`s agenda. He said that elders and parliamentarians had worked hard to implement the agreement, signed in October 2008 for restoration of peace in the area, in letter and spirit but a series of attacks on vehicles plying on Thall-Parachinar Road had jeopardised the accord.
He said that 12 persons were killed in an attack on a passenger coach near Mamo Khwar. "The government is guarantor of the peace deal but it has failed to ensure safety of people of Kurram. Security forces have not supported efforts of the elders," he said.
 
at 19:52 0 comments

Kidnapped passengers: Kurram jirga to take up issue with governor

Kidnapped passengers: Kurram jirga to take up issue with governor
 
ISLAMABAD, April 19: Lawmakers and elders of Kurram Agency unanimously decided here on Tuesday to take up the issue of 35 passengers kidnapped from Thall-Parachinar Road with the KP governor besides pressing the security forces for ensuring safety on the route.
MNA from Kurram Agency Sajid Hussain Turi told Dawn that this was for the first time that the two major tribes in the volatile Kurram Agency — Turi and Mengal — had passed on the buck to the government regarding safety of their tribesmen on Thall-Parachinar Road and many other issues as in the past, the two tribes were holding each other responsible for any untoward incident in the tribal area.
"The Thall-Parachinar Road was re-opened with the mutual efforts of tribal elders. Now the government and security forces were wholly responsible for safeguarding the road," the MNA said.
About Tuesday`s jirga, the lawmaker said that about 30 tribal elders including MNA Munir Orakzai collectively decided to involve the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for peace in Kurram Agency.
Mr Turi regretted that the government had completely ignored the safety of passengers traveling on the route adding that the recovery of the 35 missing commuters was the duty of law enforcement agencies.
He said that both Mengal and Turi tribes would support military operation against the militant group fuelling sectarian clashes in the tribal agency. "If the government keeps mum over the suffering of the people, then we have other options to force the government to take practical step for the peace in Parachinar," he said.
Mansab Ali, a tribal elder, told Dawn that a third force which had no affiliation with any of the two tribes was destroying peace in the tribal agency, adding that both the federal and provincial governments had completely ignored their responsibility to maintain law and order in the area.
Munir Orakzai said that KP Governor Barrister Masud Kausar would be requested to take up the issue of kidnapped passengers with the security forces.
 
at 19:49 0 comments

Three killed, one injured in Karachi gun attack

 
Three killed, one injured in Karachi gun attack

DAWN.COM
 
KARACHI: Three people were killed and one was injured when unknown gunmen attacked them in Karachi on Wednesday.
The victims' car was fired upon by the attackers in the vicinity of Aladdin water park on Rashid Minhas Road.
Three men, Naseem Sharif, Bisharat and Shahsawar, were killed on the spot; while their fourth companion, Tahir, was rushed to the hospital after receiving bullet wounds.
"Tahir, who was injured, belongs to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)," a police official told DawnNews.
Meanwhile, a relative of the deceased told DawnNews that Shahsawar and Bisharat were both involved in vegetable sales and were residents of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, block 10. They were originally from Kohat (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) and Parachinar (Fata) respectively.
 
source:http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/20/three-killed-one-injured-in-karachi-gun-attack.html
at 19:32 0 comments

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

MQM extends its wings to tribal areas


ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) self-exiled chief, Altaf Hussain, will address the party's first-ever public meeting in Parachinar, the headquarters of the Kurram Agency, shortly in a bid to expand the party's presence to the tribal belt as well.

"Altaf Bhai will address the people in Kurram Agency in the first week of May. The date is being fixed and programme is being given final touches. "Similar events are being planned in other tribal areas as well," said Rana Wiladat Ali, who is MQM chief organiser in the tribal belt, while talking to The News from Parachinar on telephone.

Wiladat said he and some other party activists were working hard to make the MQM's presence felt in this hitherto overlooked region and the people's response had been more than encouraging.

The militancy factor, he noted, had been a stumbling block in the way of the MQM's spread in the tribal areas. "However, with the military successes in recent times, the party looked forward to establishing its offices in other agencies in due course of time," he added. "The MQM strongly feels that its appeal to the downtrodden and neglected segments of the society will definitely get a very good response in six other tribal agencies."

Wiladat, a homoeopathic doctor working in Parachinar, belongs to Sialkot. He moved to the agency several years ago and was impressed by MQM policies. He claims his party would not remain confined to Sindh.

Blaming the government for the long-continuing siege of Kurram Agency by the militants, he said if these elements could be pushed out of Malakand Division, why not from the agency.

source:http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=42471&Cat=2&dt=4/19/2011


at 19:17 0 comments

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Sectarian strife: Kurram Agency peace deal on shaky ground

The Express Tribune

Sectarian strife: Kurram Agency peace deal on shaky ground

By Zia Khan
Published: April 16, 2011
Malik says tribesmen responsible for securing roads. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: 
A fragile peace deal between the Sunnis and Shias from Kurram Agency is under threat barely two months after an agreement between the warring tribes helped reopen the Tal-Parachinar road after more than four years.
Lawmakers from tribal areas, most of whom brokered the deal, in the National Assembly on Friday urged the government to secure the road.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that under the agreement, it was the tribesmen who were responsible for securing the road and not the government.
Speaking in the House, tribal MPs recalled the attack in the Bagan area of lower Kurram Agency some fortnight ago where 10 Shia tribesmen were killed and 40 were allegedly kidnapped by the Taliban groups based in Orakzai.
Kurram is the only tribal district with a Shia majority and has been caught in the grip of sectarian violence for the past four years.
Tal-Parachinar is the only road that links Kurram with the outside world and its closure over the past few years has reportedly made life for locals miserable.
Earlier this year, in February, the road was reopened after the tribal elders, along with parliamentarians, brokered a peace deal hoping to put an end to the age-old dispute.
However, the improvised explosive device (IED) allegedly planted by the Taliban on the roadside that killed 10 Shia tribesmen and led to the kidnapping of 40 others, put an end to any peace deal that may have been in the works.
Malik claimed the government would do whatever was possible to secure the deal and added that aerial surveillance of the route was also an option.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th,  2011.
 
at 23:42 0 comments

Measures to be taken for safe travelling on Thall-Parachinar Road: Malik assures National Assembly

Business Recorder
 

Measures to be taken for safe travelling on Thall-Parachinar Road: Malik assures National Assembly 


RECORDER REPORT
ISLAMABAD  (April 16, 2011) : Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Friday assured National Assembly that all efforts would be taken to ensure safe travelling on Thall-Parachinar Road, as lawmakers expressed concerns over the repeated terror incidents as well as killing and kidnapping of tribesmen by the militants.

The minister was responding to a call attention notice moved by MNAs Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Sajid Hussain Turi, Zafar Beg Bhittani and others pertaining to rising attacks on passengers' vehicles in Parachinar, Kurram Agency by terrorists and killing of innocent people.

Malik said that the issue of Parachinar was very serious and the government was well aware of the problems being faced by the locals. He said that after the unprecedented efforts by parliamentarians and elders of the various tribes, a truce was brokered as per the aspirations of local communities, which was unfortunately sabotaged by the Taliban.

He said that under the agreement the main Thall-Parachinar road was re-opened for the passengers' vehicles after about three years despite the fact the security forces opposed it due to fear of terror attacks. The Interior Minister, however, assured the House that all measures would be taken including the security forces' escort to the passengers to avoid terror incidents.

To a question, he said that the government had asked Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to make arrangements to expend the local airport in Parachinar for the landing of big planes so that an alternate travel facility could be provided to the local people.

Referring to the March 26 incident of killing and kidnapping of tribesmen by the terrorists, Malik said that he had asked the FC high ups in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to investigate the matter, besides urging them to provide adequate security to the passengers travelling on the Thall-Parachinar road. To another question, he said that Taliban were behind the attack on the passengers, who were targeting people of a particular tribe.

Speaking on the call attention notice, Farah Asfahani of the PPP was of the opinion that the incidents taken place in Parachinar were different to that being happened in rest of the country. She said that the local community was trapped in the area for the last three to four years and they were compelled to travel to Afghanistan for purchase daily use items. She further said that the government should come up with concrete long-term measures to stop the day to day terror incidents.

Earlier, Qadri expressed grave concern over the repeated terror incidents on the road and asked the government to undertake necessary measures to provide security to the passengers' vehicles to halt the attacks. Zafar Beg Bhittani was of the view that it was the responsibility of the government to provide security to the people of the country, adding that closing the road due to fear of terror incidents was not the way out to the issue rather steps should be taken to implement the government's writ.

 
at 23:40 0 comments

FATA forced to pull out of football event

The Express Tribune

FATA forced to pull out of football event

Published: April 15, 2011
Players unable to reach the venue in Peshawar due to law-and-order situation.
KARACHI: 
The deteriorating law-and-order situation in Peshawar has affected the fourth National Women's Club Championship that started yesterday as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) Football Club was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to their players being unable to travel to the venue.
Fata failed to show up on the opening day of the championship, handing Peshawar Football Club a walkover with three points and three goals in their group D match.
According to the Fata Women's Football Federation President Faisal Jamil Shah, the team pulled out of the championship because six of their players, who belong to Kurram Agency, could not get the clearance to travel to Peshawar due to the ongoing tussle between the Taliban and Shia groups in the region.
"It's a cruel and disappointing that our players couldn't make it to the venue," Shah told The Express Tribune. "Our team was incomplete and we couldn't wait for them.
"The female footballers in Fata usually come from Kurram and South Waziristan Agency. The girls from these areas are strong and spirited but this has left them with no other option but to pull out of the biggest national tournament for female footballers in the country."
Meanwhile, Frontier College started their campaign in style as they defeated Striker FC 7-1.
Ayesha Mohammad struck a hat-trick to ensure the win, scoring in the 17th, 24th and 34th minutes of the match. Sidra Rauf added a brace as Striker FC could only reply with Mehrunnisa's goal in the 41st minute.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th,  2011.

at 23:30 0 comments

Friday, April 15, 2011

All efforts to be taken to ensure safe travelling on Parachinar road: Malik

aaj-news-logo

All efforts to be taken to ensure safe travelling on Parachinar road: Malik

ISLAMABAD - 15th April 2011 (3 hours ago)
By APP
Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Friday assured the National Assembly that all efforts would be taken to ensure safe traveling on Parachinar Road which was recently opened after two years under an agreement between two local tribes.
Replying to a Calling Attention Notice raised by Noor ul Haq Qadri, Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi, Zafar Beg Bhittani and others regarding attack on passenger vehicles on Parachinar Road by terrorists, the minister said the road remained closed for travelling for the last two years and it was opened under agreement between two tribes of the areas.
He said the agreement is a good omen for facilitating the people of the area. However, he said that terrorists always used terror as a weapon. He said that he has ordered FC General to conduct inquiry and ensure security in the area.
The minister said that he would also hold meeting with FATA parliamentarians and local elders to prepare a comprehensive strategy to ensure security to the people travelling on the road.
He said the security and patrolling of the road would also be enhanced and aerial surveillance would be carried if needed.
Malik said that currently Parachinar airport is not functional and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would be requested to make arrangement for landing of large aircraft as only small plane could land there.
He said the government had started helicopter service from Peshawar to Parachinar to facilitate the people.
Noor-ul Qadri said that it is a very complicated issue and around 500 people have lost their lives and 6000 sustained injuries so far.
Farah Naz Ispfahani and Zafar Beg said that permanent solution of the issue should be sorted out as people of the area are facing immense hardship and they have to use Afghanistan route to come to Peshawar.
Earlier,speaking on a point of order, Nawab Yusuf Talpur said that District Coordination Officer Umerkot implicated his son Taimoor Talpur in a fake case for his alleged murder attempt on him.
He said an inquiry should be conducted through a high court judge into the matter.He said it is serious allegation against his son who is also a member of Sindh Assembly. "If action is not taken against such bureaucrats then it will be very embarrassing situation for parliamentarians," he added.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he would submit inquiry report into the matter in the House on Monday.
Deputy Speaker Fasial Karim Kundi said,"let come the report into the House. If the honorable member is not satisfied with the report then the matter will be referred to the committee."
Meanwhile, Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar informed the House that water is at dead level in Tarbela Dam due to low inflow in the rivers and delay in melting of snow.
 
at 20:07 0 comments

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Convoy leaves Kurram for Peshawar under FC escort

 Our correspondent

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

PARACHINAR: A convoy comprising 350 passengers started its journey to Peshawar on Tuesday under escort by the security forces (Frontier Corps), official and tribal sources said. 

The sources said the passengers comprising women, children, students, servicemen and ailing individuals belonging to Kurram Agency left for Peshawar under the security escort in the wake of attacks on passenger vehicles on Thall-Parachinar Road.

Three people were killed and 40 others sustained injuries when unidentified militants opened fire on passenger vehicles on way to Parachinar in Baggan area of lower parts of Kurram Agency on March 25. Militants kidnapped over three dozens travellers including women and children. Since the incident of killing and abduction, the road remained closed for 18 days. 

The Parachinar Road was recently reopened when the Islamabad peace agreement was signed between the two warring sects after three years of violence. The incident generated strong resentment among the residents of upper tehsil in Kurram Agency who termed the killing and abduction of passengers as violation of the peace agreement and against the Pakhtun tribal norms. They held regular protests against the incident asking the government and military to protect life and property of the area people who were constantly targeted by militants having sanctuaries in lower parts of Kurram Agency.

Meanwhile, owing to the complaints of the tribesmen, the government barred a Lahore-based air travel company, Hybrid Aviation, from operating light commercial planes to Parachinar. They had been charging Rs18,000-20,000 for one-way flight over the last few years
.
 
at 07:30 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)