Slain tribesmen laid to rest in Parachinar

Slain tribesmen laid to rest in Parachinar

Saturday, April 23, 2011

PARACHINAR: Eight tribesmen belonging to the Turi and Bangash tribes kidnapped by the militants almost a month back and later beheaded were laid to rest in Alizai village amid touching scenes on Friday.

A large number of relatives, friends and well wishers attended the funeral prayers held in Parachinar. The sources said that the militants had burnt the captives after beheading them in their training centres in Ghulam Khan and Ghund Markaz areas in Kurram Agency. 

The militants kidnapped some 40 passengers belonging to the Turi and Bangash tribes on way to Parachinar, the agency headquarters of Kurram Agency, from Peshawar on March 25. Some of the slain tribesmen were identified as Mohammad Irfan, Irshad Ali, Said Laiq Hussain, Nauroz Ali, Ali Mohammad, Khalid Anwar and Nisar Hussain. 

Mohammad Irfan and Irshad Ali were students, Syed Laiq Hussain and Nauroz Ali were soldiers going home for holidays, the sources said. Ali Muhammad was returning home from the United Arab Emirates after three years. Meanwhile, complete shutdown was observed on the call of Turi and Bangash tribes in Parachinar to mourn the killings. 

SOURCE: 

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=43147&Cat=7&dt=4/23/2011

PAK militants brutally kill 8 Shias - WATCH debate on Shia-Sunni conflict

APRIL 22, 2011 - 11:32AM | BY PTI

At least 8 of over 30 members of minority Shia community, taken hostage by militants in Pakistan's restive tribal belt, have been killed and their bodies burnt by their abductors, media reports today said.

Pro-Taliban militants had abducted over 30 people during attacks on two convoys of vehicles carrying Shias in the Kurram tribal region on March 25.

There has been confusion about the exact number of people kidnapped, with some reports stating that 45 Shias were taken hostage.

Militants burnt the bodies of eight persons after ruthlessly slaughtering them, The Frontier Post newspaper quoted its sources as saying.

The mutilated bodies were handed over to members of the Shia Turi-Bangash tribe in Kurram Agency yesterday.

Another report, from the tribal region, said the militants beheaded the eight persons. The attack last month occurred despite a peace deal signed by rival Shia and Sunni tribesmen earlier this year.

It was widely reported that the Haqqani militant network based in North Waziristan tribal region was involved in brokering the deal.

Following the attack, the strategic Tall-Parachinar road, which connects Kurram Agency to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa capital Peshawar, was closed.

The local political administration, security forces and a grand tribal jirga could not succeed in recovering the kidnapped Shias despite several attempts to negotiate with the abductors. The militants freed five women and seven children.

Tension has gripped the region after the attack. Local residents have expressed their disappointment and criticised the political administration and law enforcement agencies for their failure to rescue the kidnapped people even after a lapse of nearly a month.

The Doha Debates held a couple of years ago had an interesting discussion on the internal strife in the muslim world between the shia and the sunni communities -

part 1.

part 2

part 3

part 4

part 5.

SOURCE: 

http://indiareloaded.tv/article/pak-militants-brutally-kill-8-shias-watch-debate-shia-sunni-conflict

Govt must secure roads to Kurram Agency

Saturday 23rd April, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Tribal people from Kurram agency has vowed to continue their protest in Islamabad until roads to Parachinar is not secured and reopened.

This protest camp would continue till the only road from Peshawar to Parachinar is secured and reopened, addressing the protest demonstration organized by youth Parachinar on Friday evening here in front of the National Press Club Islamabd, the speakers said.

They demanded of the government to take concrete steps for releasing the 41 kidnapped people of Turi tribe. They claimed that the 41 people were kidnapped from Bagan area of Lower Kurram agency on March 25 when as they said militants attacked three vehicles in the area killing three people. "8 dead decomposed bodies of the kidnapped persons were sent to Parachinar the other day," they claimed.

They said that in 2008 a peace truce between the warring tribes was agreed in Mari followed by several jirgas in which Interior Minister Rehman Malik also participated and assured implementation of the pacts. But all the promises proved hollow, they said, and no action was taken against the violators of the peace truce.

They said that communication to the area was suspended in 2007 and it is still persisting that make life almost impossible in the area and Kurram Agency lacks medicines as well as other basic amenities of life. Earlier, people of the area used areas of Afghanistan for travel to Peshawar but travel via Afghanistan also become very risky for the last year.

They demanded of the government to recollect Kurram militia deployed and other areas and redeploy it in the agency. They also stressed for restoration of the suspended PIA flights to the area and mobile service.

 

SOURCE: 

http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=178135