Parachinar

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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SOURCE: http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/09/tribesmen-celebrate-peace-accord-road-to-kurram-reopens-after-four-years-2.html

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Road to Kurram reopens after four years

From the Newspaper

Participants of a convey arrive in Khurram Agency. - Dawn

PARACHINAR, Feb 8: Strife-torn Kurram Agency burst into joyous scenes on Tuesday as local tribesmen celebrated a peace deal between the Shia and Sunni sects that led to the reopening of Thall-Parachinar Road after four years.

People who had lived in fear all these years were seen distributing sweets and dancing with abandon in the streets of Parachinar and Sadda towns. It was pleasing to see Sunnis and Shias mingle freely and exchange pleasantries.

Elders of the Turi tribe received inhabitants of Bushara, a Sunni-dominated in Parachinar which had remained blockaded for three years, while tribesmen in Sadda and Chappari arranged welcome parties for the participants of the peace rally.

Similarly residents of Balishkhel and Sadda met with each other after a long time.

The checkpost at Balishkel used to serve as buffer zone between the warring factions.

The locals used to call it Wahga Border, a reference to the Pakistan-India border.

"Everybody is happy and celebrating the occasion by taking part in traditional dance and distributing sweets in Parachinar," said Mumtaz Hussain, a shopkeeper in the town. The area, which witnessed the worst sectarian violence, was echoing with the slogans of 'Sunni-Shia Bhai Bhai' (Sunni and Shia are brothers).

A convoy comprising about 100 vehicles left Peshawar for Parachinar on Tuesday.

The head of the jirga that brokered the peace accord and former federal minister, Malik Waris Khan Afridi, Political Agent Syed Musadiq Shah along and other elders of the area accompanied the convoy.

The elders of Musazai, Alisherzai, Mangal and Bangash tribes warmly received hundreds of the participants of the convoy at Chappari, Bagan, Alizai, Sadda and Balishkhel.

The Thall-Parachinar Road, the only artery linking Kurram with other parts of the country, remained closed to normal traffic since November 2007 when clashes broke out in the area.

More than 3,000 people had been killed and some 50 villages burnt in the clashes, resulting in displacement of hundreds of families from the area.

The road was reopened after rival factions agreed on implementation of the peace agreement, signed in Murree in October 2008. Significantly, the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan also endorsed the peace deal and announced ban on display of weapons on the main road.

The residents of the area said that prices of commodities came down in the area after signing of the peace deal. The prices of petroleum were decreased from Rs180 to 140 per litre while the price of light diesel reduced to Rs110 from Rs140 per litre.

The locals have been largely relying on Afghanistan for getting these items.

Political Agent Musadiq told Dawn that reopening of the road would help in restoring trust and confidence among the people.

"Our main priority is to keep the road open to address people's miseries and restore confidence," he said, adding that political administration would take more steps for sustainable peace in the area.

Malik Waris Khan said that Murree agreement would be implement in letter and spirit as both factions had expressed their will to cooperate with the jirga.

He said that reopening of the road was main hurdle and now other minor issues would be addressed soon.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/09/AR2011020901396.html

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Officials: NW Pakistan rival tribes to end fight

The Washington Post

Officials: NW Pakistan rival tribes to end fight

The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 9, 2011;

PARACHINAR, Pakistan -- A tribal elder and a government official say Sunni and Shiite communities in a region close to the Afghan border have agreed to end their four-year long conflict.

Tribal council leader Waris Khan Afridi said Wednesday the main road leading to Kurram from Peshawar was now open again and both Shiites and Sunnis were using it. Previously, the road was too dangerous to use.

He says "God willing" there would be no more fighting.

Hundreds have died in the fighting, which effectively isolated the region from the rest of Pakistan because the main road was so dangerous.

He says the two sects had agreed to stop fighting, but gave no details on the terms.

On Tuesday, a convoy of vehicles from both communities traveled the road to publicize the agreement.

SOURCE:

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iRONIC as the situation may be, the TTP has welcomed a peace agreement

IRONIC as the situation may be, the TTP has welcomed a peace agreement between the Shia and Sunni factions of Kurram Agency and pledged to abide by it.

This was communicated by the group's Kurram amir Fazal Saeed — wanted by the Government of Pakistan with a Rs5m bounty on his head — at a news conference. The militant leader added that those who violated the accord would be "punished in accordance with the Sharia" and assured the Shia community that it could use the Thall-Parachinar road without fear. The route has become a virtual death trap due to a Taliban blockade. Even convoys accompanied by security forces have been ambushed. Though the prospects for peace should be welcomed, there are reasons to be circumspect. Firstly, it is a clear sign that the state has lost its writ in an area when a wanted man guarantees a peace agreement. Secondly, the Taliban are the major reason for the area's destabilisation. Can they be trusted to abide by the agreement? There have been peace deals in the past which have been most notable for the number of times they have been violated. There are also reports that the deal has the blessings of the Sirajuddin Haqqani network (believed to have established itself in Kurram) while the security establishment has accepted this role. The area — bordering Afghanistan — is of immense strategic importance and observers say the sectarian conflict was affecting the Haqqani network's anti-Isaf activities across the border. There is a perception that although local militants may honour the agreement, groups from Hangu or Kohat may try and sabotage it.

Thousands have been killed, injured and displaced while scores of villages have been torched since violence began in 2007 with the Taliban's arrival. However, the local administration and security forces are equally responsible for their abject failure in quelling the violence. For there to be genuine peace in Kurram the state — and not militants — must set the agenda. If peace is established, the government should initiate an investigation to take account of the human and material losses as a result of the violence, and the guilty must be brought to book.

SOURCE: http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/09/kurram-agreement.html

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http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Aki/English/Security/Pakistan-Thousands-of-Sunni-families-expected-to-return-to-northwest-after-peace-accord_311653051311.html

Thousands of Sunni families expected to return to northwest after peace accord

Pakistan: Thousands of Sunni families expected to return to northwest after peace accord

(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - At least 3,000 Sunni families who fled sectarian violence are likely to return to Pakistan's restive northwestern Kurram tribal region following a recent peace accord between Shia and Sunni tribal elders, according to Pakistani security sources. The peace accord was also recognised by the Pakistani Taliban.

Pakistan Taliban chief in Kurram, Fazl Saeed told journalists by phone on Monday from an undisclosed location that militants would severely punish anyone who flouted the peace deal, which was signed on 3 February, ending years of bloodshed.

Saeed urged Shias to use main transport arteries including the Thall-Parachinar road.

The peace accord brought to an end three years of sectarian killings in Kurram, which borders Afghanistan. Taliban-backed Sunni militias and other Taliban-linked groups terrorised the Shia population in Kurram from 2007 and at least 5,000 Shias took refuge in Afghanistan.

Sunni militias barred all the main roads in the area for at least two years, forcing Shias living in Kurram's main town of Parachinar to travel through the easterm Afghan province of Nangarhar to reach the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar.

Later, Shia militias, allegedly backed by the Iran and the Afghan government, fought back against the pro-Taliban Sunni militias and forced at least 3,000 Sunni families to flee to other Pakistani cities.

Headed by Malik Waris Khan Afridi, the former federal minister from Khyber Agency, the 220-member tribal jirga took two years to arrange a negotiated peace deal.

Afridi said the safe and secure return of the tribesmen will be ensured by the government and Sunni and Shia tribesmen have pledged to uphold the deal.

SOURCE:

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http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/08/taliban-welcome-kurram-truce.html

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Taliban welcome Kurram truce

PARACHINAR, Feb 7: The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has welcomed a peace agreement between Shia and Sunni groups in Kurram Agency and pledged to abide by it.

Addressing a press conference, Kurram TTP Amir Fazal Saeed said violators of the accord would be punished in accordance with the Sharia law.

The government has announced a reward of Rs5 million for the capture of Fazal Saeed.

The militant leader's support for the peace accord is being considered here as a major development.

Local people are fed up of sectarian violence afflicting the area for a long time, leaving over 2,000 dead and 3,500 injured. Over 3,000 families have left their homes for other places in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2007.

The TTP leader said that if the accord was violated by the rival group, his side would inform the administration and jirga members and act only if no action was taken for 15 days.

He offered to cooperate with the security forces, administration and jirga in implementing the accord.

Fazal assured the Shia community of protection and said they should use the Thal-Parachinar and other roads without any fear.

He called upon Shia elders to play their role for the success of the accord.

The peace agreement was reached by leaders of the warring Shia community and Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat in Islamabad after over two years of negotiations by a jirga comprising more than 200 tribal elders and notables. Most of the issues were sorted out in the 'Murree agreement' signed in 2008.

Sajid Toori and Munir Orakzai, lawmakers from the region, were the main players behind the truce. Malak Waris Khan, a former federal minister and leader of the PPP from Khyber Agency, headed the jirga.

Malak Waris and Political Agent Syed Musadiq Shah are expected to be in Chappari along with other tribal elders on Tuesday and announce the reopening of the Parachinar-Peshawar road which has remained closed since March 2007 because of tribal fighting.

SOURCE:

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http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=30046&Cat=2&dt=2/8/2011

TTP warns violators of Kurram peace deal

SADDA: Militants of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Kurram Agency said on Monday that they would extend all-out support to the political administration and security forces to implement the peace agreement reached between elders of the Sunni and Shia sects.

Speaking at a press conference from an unknown location in central Kurram Agency, Kurram TTP chief Fazal Saeed said militants would hand down severe punishment under the Shariah if any party flouted the peace deal. Asking all the stakeholders to abide by the pact, he said nobody would be allowed to sabotage the peace process. "We will first ask the political administration and jirga members to take action against the side violating the agreement. But we will be justified to punish the violators after 15 days as per the accord," he warned.

The militant leader added that Islamic teachings strictly prohibited violation of agreements when reached by warring sides for peace and tranquility and cessation of hostilities. He urged the Shia scholars to play their role in implementing the peace agreement as it was in the interest of all the people.

Saeed asked the Shias to use roads including the Thall-Parachinar Road without any fear as the TTP was not against the peace deal between the Shia and Sunni elders for lasting peace in Kurram Agency. The peace agreement was reached between the Sunni and Shia elders in Islamabad on February 3. However, it was being feared in certain quarters that the TTP would not accept the deal.

SOURCE:

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source: http://www.centralasiaonline.com/cocoon/caii/xhtml/en_GB/features/caii/features/pakistan/main/2011/02/04/feature-02

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Thall-Para Chinar road re-opens after 4 years

By M. Ibrahim
2011-02-04

Pakistani soldiers guard a road in Sadda, a town in Kurram Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border July 6, 2010. A Kurram Agency deal Febuary 4 will reopen the main Thall-Para Chinar road for the first time in four years. [REUTERS/Mian Khursheed]

PARA CHINAR – A key road will re-open as part of a peace deal that a 16-member tribal jirga struck in the restive tribal region of Kurram Agency bordering Afghanistan February 4.

"The important Thall-Para Chinar road, which was closed for the past four years due to Taliban attacks, will be open for all types of traffic on February 5," said Munir Orakzai."The important Thall-Para Chinar road, which was closed for the past four years due to Taliban attacks, will be open for all types of traffic on February 5," said Munir Orakzai, a Kurram parliamentarian and member of the jirga.

Besides re-opening the road, Sunni and Shia tribal leaders agreed to rehabilitate and compensate affected families, end sectarian hostilities and clear their areas of militants. The federal government is supporting the agreement.

Sectarian strife and later the increasing influence of the Taliban ripped the social fabric of Kurram Agency, said Asad Ali, a former resident of Para Chinar who moved to Peshawar for security reasons.

Para Chinar road had been deemed unsafe

In 2007, authorities declared the Thall-Para Chinar road unsafe for travel. Sectarian attacks devastated Shia and Sunni homes, places of worship and business centres in Para Chinar and its surrounding areas. More than 3,000 Shia and Sunni tribesmen were killed during the past four years of intra-tribal conflict. Thousands of locals fled their homes.

"I think the (unwanted presence of) Taliban militants compelled the warring sects to join hands and live peacefully in the area," a local journalist said on condition of anonymity. "Now the Taliban will not be able to take advantage of their hostilities."

"The important Thall-Para Chinar road, which was closed for the past four years due to Taliban attacks, will be open for all types of traffic on February 5," said Munir Orakzai.

Without the road, Para Chinar residents had to use the Kabul-Torkhum route to reach Peshawar and other parts of Pakistan.

Re-opening will bring prosperity, some predict

The road re-opening will usher in an era of prosperity in the Shia community, which had lived under a persistent Taliban threat, many in Kurram Agency said.

Hundreds of Taliban fighters who had fled from military operations in North and South Waziristan, Bajaur and Swat took refuge in different parts of Kurram Agency, Said Wazir, a resident of Sadda sub-division, said.

"The Taliban presence in Kurram jeopardised the peace in the area besides putting at risk the lives of most Shia," Wazir observed.

Malik Waris Khan Afridi, a member of the jirga, told Central Asia Online that he hoped Pakistani security forces would protect the road and that the federal government, which is backing the deal, would compensate affected families.

The local population suffered monetary losses of 1.6 billion rupees (US $18.6m) during the four years of fighting, the government has estimated.

Families affected by militancy will be compensated

Compensation to affected families will go out in instalments, with the first Rs. 300m due in the coming week, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik told jirga members in Islamabad.

Taliban fighters from across the border are responsible for continued unrest in Kurram Agency, Malik alleged.

"The terror unleashed by the Taliban in Kurram is misinterpreted as sectarian strife," Rehman Malik said, noting that local elders have agreed to cleanse their area of all miscreants.

The local administration will ensure the safe return and repatriation of all the displaced families from Para Chinar and Sadda, Orakzai said. Local clerics in their Friday sermons lauded the peace deal and urged the local communities to abide by it.

"Let's rise against the enemies of our land and throw them out of our areas," a local religious leader urged local residents during Friday prayers.

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Turi Bangash’s tribes rejected Rehman’s claims of Opening main Thall Parachinar blocked road

KURRAM AGENCY: Elders council of Turi Bangash's tribes rejected Rehman Malik claims of Opening main Thall Parachinar blocked road from February 5,2011 terming it as just media point scoring for govt.

In a statement issued the elders council told that such false claims and promises were made for more than 10 times during last three years by using media as a tool for publishing breaking news and media point scoring in favor of PPP regime. While all the times just in very first attempt when passengers convey escorted by FC is prepared after such announcement the convey is attacked by Taliban and their local supporters in the jurisdiction of Chaparri check-posts in different areas of Lower Kurram in the presence of Silent Security forces(FC) is best proof of state terrorism.

Elders Council further mentioned by clearing the Point that they will consider the Road as completely open When Rehman Malik along with Kurram's MNAs & grand Jirga members will themselves travel on Road while all the time they deceive the common men including women and children. They warned that if this time such incident will took place then Rehman Malik will be declared as killer for that.

source: http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=174759

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