Peshawar, Dec 5: A meeting of the local council leaders and administration on Thursday decided not to allow rallies or protests in the neighbouring districts of Kurram while a sustainable ceasefire agreement in Kohat division is expected soon in northwest Pakistan, officials said here.
Kurram in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has been rocked by sectarian clashes since last month that claimed 133 lives from November 21 to December 2.
The meeting of the grand jirga and the peace committee decided to completely ban holding rallies in Hangu, Kohat, and Orakzai districts, officials said. A ceasefire agreement in Kurram, banning rallies and protests, has been in place since December 2 and no incidents of violence have been reported since.
Following the directives from the province’s Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, the Kohat Division Commissioner Moatasim Billah along with the deputy commissioners and district police officers of Hangu and Orakzai, held detailed consultations with members of the grand jirga (council of the tribal leaders) and the Kohat division peace committee.
Additionally, it was decided that no protests would be held on the Tall-Kohat road in future.
The clashes between Alizai and Bagan tribes in the district started on November 22, after an attack on a convoy of passenger vans near Parachinar in which 47 people were killed a day earlier.
Several passengers who had sustained grave injuries succumbed later, raising the toll in the convoy killing to 57.
The meeting between members of the grand jirga and the Kohat division peace committee is also expected to reach a sustainable ceasefire agreement in Kohat soon and work towards a permanent resolution through mutual understanding.
A unanimous decision was made to avoid any future protests on the Tall-Kohat road and violators will face legal action by the police.
The grand jirga is in touch with both parties involved in the Kurram conflict and has emphasised that no violations of the ceasefire will be tolerated, the officials said.
Earlier this week, a ceasefire agreement was reached between two warring tribes in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
