The sit-in outside the Kurram Press Club in Parachinar, which has been ongoing for three months, ended on Sunday night as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s regions still remain cut off from the rest of the province.

However, tribal leaders warned that they would restart the sit-in if their demands were not met. The protest was initiated to demand the reopening of transportation routes and to address various other grievances.

Jamia Mosque Imam Allama Fida Hussain Mazahiri, Tehsil Chairman Agha Mazmil Hussain; and tribal leader Haji Abid Hussain addressed their supporters. They added that the decision to postpone the protest was made “collectively” with the sit-in committee in the interest of the “greater national good.”

A large number of people participated in the sit-in aimed to address issues such as reopening routes despite the severe cold.

Earlier in the day, the KP government banned public gatherings in the Kurram district for two months as it imposed Section 144 of the CrPC amid the poor law and order situation.

An estimated 400,000 people in Upper Kurram are cut off and the supply of essential goods is disrupted.

The Kurram region has been wracked by violence for decades, but around 140 people have been killed since a fresh bout of fighting broke out in November.

As feuding tribes have battled with machine guns and heavy weapons, the remote and mountainous region bordering Afghanistan has been largely cut off from the outside world.

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After a truce was called on January 1, the convoy was attacked as it travelled to collect the first aid delivery of food and medicine sent by road since November.

At least seven people, including Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud, were injured in the attack. They were airlifted to Peshawar.

According to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the attack was “a conspiracy” intended to undo the ceasefire agreed on New Year’s Day following a council of tribal leaders from both sides.