PESHAWAR: Aid flights landed in a remote Pakistan valley on Tuesday where thousands of people are stranded because of sectarian clashes that have killed more than 200 people since July.

Residents have reported food and medicine shortages in parts of Kurram district, which borders Afghanistan, as the government struggles to end a reignited feud between Sunni and Shiite Muslims stemming from decades-old tensions over farmland.

Sher Gul, the head of private welfare organization Edhi, said they would make several flights a day from the city of Peshawar to the valley for the rest of the week, depending on weather.

“We plan to bring around three wounded back on each flight... and deliver medicines for the injured,” he told AFP.

Various truces have been announced since the latest round of fighting began, as elders from the two sides negotiate a lasting agreement.

In the meantime, the government has shut down key roads in and out of the district in an attempt to quell the violence, after a security convoy escorting residents was attacked in November, leaving more than 40 dead.

Mobile and Internet services are also disrupted in the area.

Members of the Shiite community are also particularly vulnerable as they must pass through Sunni-majority neighborhoods to reach essential services. 

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 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018. The feuding is generally rekindled by disputes over land in the rugged mountainous region, and fueled by underlying tensions between the communities adhering to different sects of Islam.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will participate in the Eleventh Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) countries being held in Egypt from Dec. 18-20 where Israel’s military offensive on Gaza and the humanitarian crisis and reconstruction efforts in the besieged enclave as well as neighboring Lebanon will be at the center of discussions, the foreign office said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for Egypt tomorrow, Wednesday, for the main summit while Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar left today, Tuesday, to attend the 21st Session of the D-8 Council of Ministers on Dec. 18. 

The D-8 Summit is a gathering of leaders from eight developing countries including Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye. It aims to promote economic cooperation and development among member states, with a focus on areas like trade, energy, agriculture, and transportation.

Besides addressing the summit and holding bilateral meetings on the sidelines, Sharif will attend a special session on the humanitarian crisis and reconstruction challenges in Gaza and Lebanon following Israel military offensives in the Middle East since October last year. 

“He will underline Pakistan’s principled position on the situation in Palestine and call for peace in the Middle East,” the foreign office said.

Health officials in the Gaza Strip said on Monday the death toll from the 14-month war between Israel and Hamas had topped 45,000 people. 

The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The theme of this year’s D-8 Summit is “Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow’s Economy.”

“At the Summit, the Prime Minister will underline the importance of investing in youth and SMEs for building a strong and inclusive economy; creating jobs; advancing innovation; and promoting local entrepreneurship,” the foreign office said.

“He will express Pakistan’s strong commitment to the ideals of D-8; underscore the importance of fostering partnerships for mutual benefit and prosperity; and promoting cooperation in agriculture, food security and tourism. He will also underline Pakistan’s incentives for youth empowerment and financial development.”