At least 30 children have died due to drug shortages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, following the provincial government’s closure of key routes to address a surge in sectarian violence, The Guardian reported.

The British news outlet reported the data by quoting Parachinar’s main hospital medical superintendent Syed Mir Hassan.

It came at a time when the KP apex committee decided to dismantle all bunkers in the district and ordered warring tribes to surrender arms by February 1.

The area, located near the Afghanistan border, has long been a hotspot for conflicts, with tensions flaring over farmland disputes since July.

Violence escalated on November 21 when gunmen attacked a vehicle convoy, resulting in the deaths of 42 individuals. No group has claimed responsibility for the ambush, which sparked retaliatory attacks and arson by rival factions across multiple locations.

The regional government has stated that it would reopen access routes to Kurram only after armed groups on both sides surrender their heavy weapons.

Local residents are worried about a growing humanitarian crisis. Ahbaab Ali, a 25-year-old from Parachinar, emphasised the dire lack of food, medicine, milk, and fuel, warning that the community may soon exhaust all basic necessities. “The provincial and central governments are not addressing the crisis,” he said.

On Tuesday, Edhi delivered aid in parts of the district to the area through aid flights. The welfare organisation said that “more flights would keep coming back” throughout the week and medicines would also be delivered.

“People are in dire need of help. Hospitals lack services and supplies have been shut down. I saw hospitals that did not have oxygen or medicines,” Faisal Edhi said and added that X-rays and CT scans were malfunctioning.

He appealed to the state to make the district its “topmost priority” and find a resolution to the violence.

Also, read this

Anyone who takes up arms will be labelled terrorist, says Gandapur

KP law minister denies gunmen in Parachinar open fire at helicopter midair

Tensions in Kurram enter 70th day, causing severe hardships for residents

Mobile and internet services are also disrupted in the area.

At least 133 people have been killed and 177 wounded in sporadic clashes since November 21.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said 79 people had been killed in the region between July and October.

Police have regularly struggled to control violence in Kurram, which was part of the semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas until it was merged with KP in 2018.