Security forces and police have arrested leaders, Haji Karim and Sartaj Ali, of the protest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram and Parachinar, police said on Sunday.

According to the police, Karim has been staging a protest sit-in in the Mandori and Bagan regions for the past two months.

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 2024.

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.

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, officials said.

On February 17, one driver and a security official were martyred, while 15 others, including four drivers and one police officer, were injured when a convoy travelling towards Parachinar in Lower Kurram came under attack.

More than 70 individuals, including over 25 alleged terrorists, have been apprehended over the last three days of operations. Looted goods intended for a convoy to Parachinar were also recovered from several homes.

Authorities have ordered residents to place the looted items outside their homes while notices have been issued for the evacuation of the Bagan, Char Khail, Mandori, and Ochat areas by 10am today (Sunday).

Meanwhile, protests against the blockade of routes in Parachinar continued. Sartaj, who is a differently-abled person because of polio and the chairman of the Ehsaas Welfare Organization, was demanding the reopening of blocked roads in the area.

Before his arrest, Ali stated in a media interaction that he was “attempting to raise the voice of the besieged populace to the United Nations.” He added that because of the blockade of routes, “people are dying from a lack of food and medical treatment.” According to the police, Sartaj was arrested for “obstructing the roadway.”

Social activist Mir Afzal Khan said that a population of 500,000 has been trapped because of the blockade over the past five months, facing “severe” shortages of food and medical supplies. He mentioned that available goods were being “sold at prices three times higher than normal.”

Meanwhile, in Lower Kurram, a protest sit-in by the victims of Bagan has been ongoing for two months. Tribal leaders have declared that the sit-in would continue until the “victims are granted their rights and those involved in incidents of unrest are apprehended.”

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In the police operation in Hangu and Kurram, a total of 82 suspects, including terrorists, have been arrested so far. According to Kohat Regional Police Officer Abbas Majid Marwat, a “significant amount of weapons” has also been recovered during the operation.

Police officials reported that the recovered weapons include 81 submachine guns, two heavy machine guns, and various other arms. Moreover, looted goods from a convoy have been recovered, secured in four fully loaded trucks.

RPO Abbas Majid Marwat stated, “A vigorous operation against those involved in looting the convoy and attackers is ongoing, with efforts to ensure complete security of the highway from Thal to Parachinar. All possible measures are being taken to provide full protection to the public in Kurram.”