PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) administration on Saturday vowed to eliminate trenches dug by warring tribes in Kurram, where 10 days of sectarian clashes have killed over 100, warning that anyone disrupting peace in the area would be treated as “terrorist.”
Kurram, a former semi-autonomous tribal region bordering Afghanistan, has a long history of violent conflicts, including a major clash in 2007 that lasted for years before being resolved by a jirga, or council of tribal elders, in 2011.
The recent clashes erupted on November 21, when gunmen attacked a convoy carrying members of the minority Shiite community in Lower Kurram, killing 41 people.
“Anyone who takes up arms will be called a terrorist, and the fate of a terrorist is hell,” KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced while addressing a grand jirga that brought together tribal chieftains along with senior government functionaries in Kohat, located near Kurram.
Last week, the provincial administration announced it had brokered a seven-day ceasefire to end hostilities between the warring tribes. However, a local police official told Arab News a day earlier that violence continued unabated, with sporadic gunfire echoing in the area, reflecting that the arrangement had not worked.
Gandapur noted the army, police and district administration officials were making concerted efforts to achieve enduring peace in the region.
“Though political differences between federal and provincial governments persist, the central government should provide Frontier Constabulary (FC) troops to maintain peace in the area,” he said.
The members of the grand jirga would remain in the area until peace was established, he added, noting that the provincial government would provide them with all possible support.
“Those who are disrupting peace in Kurram should be identified by the local community,” he added. “Local elders should play their role to end the atmosphere of hatred between the warring factions.”
Only a day earlier, Hameed Hussain, a parliamentarian from Kurram, confirmed to Arab News that the ceasefire announced by the provincial authorities had failed to hold.
He said the death toll from the ongoing clashes had reached 110.
The KP chief minister directed the relevant authorities to collect heavy weapons from residents of the restive district.
“The government will ensure the dignified return of families displaced due to fighting,” he added. “Funds will be released for the repatriation of temporarily displaced people.”

QUETTA: Baloch separatist militants have targeted a dam construction site and a Levies check post in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan in two separate attacks, a senior official confirmed Saturday, abducting six laborers and seizing weapons just days after Pakistan announced a comprehensive operation against armed factions in the province.
The attacks occurred late Thursday night along the border of the remote Nushki and Kharan districts.
Pakistan’s largest but sparsely populated province, Balochistan borders Afghanistan and Iran and is central to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. The region has been the site of a low-level insurgency by separatist militants for over two decades, though violence has intensified in recent months.
In August, the province witnessed a series of coordinated attacks that killed over 50 people.
“Unknown armed men attacked a dam construction site in Nushki district on Thursday night and abducted six laborers,” Additional Chief Secretary Home Shahab Ali Shah said while speaking to Arab News. “The laborers were working for a private construction company.”
“In another incident, armed men attacked a Levies check post at Zarin Jungle area and snatched three submachine guns from the soldiers,” he continued, adding that no loss of life was reported in the attack.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a prominent militant group in the province, claimed responsibility for the attacks on Friday, saying the group seized weapons from the Levies and “arrested” construction company personnel.
“BLA fighters captured a post of the Pakistani Levies force on the highway at Zarin Jungle and seized the weapons,” it said in a statement. “At the same time, different squads of fighters conducted a snap-check on the highway and arrested five personnel working on a construction project.”
It added the BLA had destroyed the construction company’s machinery and equipment by setting them on fire.
Rich in land and mineral wealth, Balochistan is otherwise an impoverished region, prompting separatist groups to accuse Pakistan of exploiting provincial resources, including gold and copper.
Pakistan denies the allegations and says the government is carrying out several development projects in the region to ensure its prosperity and improve the quality of life of its residents.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif approved a “comprehensive military operation” in Balochistan against the separatist outfits involved in attacks on Pakistani security forces after a suicide bombing at the Quetta Railway Station killed about 25 people, including army troops.
Baloch separatists have also been involved in targeting Chinese workers in Pakistan, prompting Beijing to urge authorities in Islamabad to provide them with foolproof security.