A grand jirga in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district concluded after nine hours of discussions on Saturday but did not reach a final decision.

“The matter concerns millions of tribespeople and a strong and sustainable agreement can only be reached once the concerns of all jirga members are addressed,” Kohat Commissioner Mutasim Billah Shah said.

Mutasim highlighted that the local residents have been deprived of food, fuel, and medicine for the past 82 days. He expressed confidence that all Kurram elders would agree on the terms of the agreement.

Meanwhile, the main roads, including the Tall-Parachinar route, remain closed. But a deadlock between the parties regarding the situation in Kurram has ended and the elders have signed the agreement, with a few individuals from one faction expected to sign later.

Sources said that one faction has reservations about the collection of weapons by national elders. The faction demands that weapons from both sides be submitted to the government and that decisions made by the apex committee should be implemented.

Prospect for agreement

There is a possibility of an agreement between the parties involved regarding the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kuram on Saturday as people in Karachi and Lahore protest against the Parachinar killings.

A jirga held on Friday in Kohat did not reach a conclusion. More individuals will participate in Saturday’s jirga, with the government playing a mediating role, the KP government spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif.

A task force has also been established, as one party had requested more time to return for discussions, he said.

The Kurram district experienced relative peace over the weekend, thanks to the deployment of security forces following a ceasefire established by local authorities in November. Reports said that two individuals sustained injuries in Upper Kurram earlier this month.

This ceasefire, which followed a tense 10-day period of armed conflict, has provided temporary relief to a region that suffered significant loss, with a total of 118 lives claimed.

The violence began on November 21 when gunmen attacked passengers, resulting in 43 fatalities, with additional deaths occurring during subsequent retaliatory clashes.

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Saif, who is the chief minister’s adviser on information, said the primary objective of the jirga was to ensure the return of weapons and heavy arms. He added that once an agreement is reached, the roads are expected to be reopened.

Meanwhile, demonstrations in Karachi have resulted in the closure of the roads leading to the airport from Shahrah-e-Faisal, causing significant inconvenience for travellers.

The road from Numaish to Gurumandir is also blocked due to protest camps. But traffic flow has been restored at various points in the city, including MA Jinnah Road, Nawai Waqt Chowrangi, Numaish Chowrangi and the road leading to MA Jinnah Road from Shahrah-e-Qauideen.