Complete shutter down against closure of roads in Parachinar

Shiite News: Traders of Parachinar city in Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have gone on a shutter down strike against the closure of the Parachinar-Thall road for several months due to the deteriorating security situation.

It should be noted that the Thall Parachinar road (which is the only route leading to the city) has been closed since the terrorist attack by the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba/Lashkar Jhangvi on a convoy in the Bagan area on November 21, 2024, which resulted in the death of more than 50 people.

At least 130 more lives were lost in the clashes that erupted as a result of decades-old land disputes.

A ceasefire agreement was reached on January 1 after months of tension, but peace has yet to be restored and the agreement has suffered setbacks as attacks on aid convoys, security personnel and government officials have continued.

The shutter-down strike was called to press for the reopening of the road and making it safe for travel and trade, trade union president Haji Imdad Ali told Dawn.

He said civilians were dying due to lack of food and medical care as they neither have medicines nor can they travel to Peshawar for treatment.

Imdad Ali said no aid convoy had arrived in Parachinar since March 27 (before Eid-ul-Fitr), adding that more than 300 trucks loaded with supplies have been waiting for permission to travel to Parachinar between the towns of Tall and Doaba in Hangu district for the past several weeks.

He claimed that traders are paying more than Rs 1 million for a vehicle to transport their goods to Parachinar, adding that vehicles have been parked on the roads in Hangu for weeks, which costs them Rs 10,000 per day.

In Parachinar, along with traders and shopkeepers, trade union leaders Haji Imdad Ali, Haji Asghar Hussain, Yousuf Hussain, Liaquat Kaka, Jafar Hussain and other leaders also held a joint press conference.

The business leaders have decided to continue the protest until the roads are opened, while the district administration says that steps are being taken to open the roads and establish peace.

Late last month, tribal leaders in Kurram agreed to an 8-month peace agreement before Eid-ul-Fitr.

This agreement came at a time when the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government announced a fresh operation against militants in Kurram in February.

Teams from the Pakistan Airports Authority and Pakistan International Airlines also reviewed the operational feasibility of Parachinar Airport for commercial and humanitarian flights.