PARACHINAR: On the sixth day of the ongoing sit-in protest against the closure of key routes in Kurram, local government representatives warned they would resign if the roads were not reopened immediately.
Upper Kurram Tehsil Chairman Agha Muzamil Hussain announced that if the blockades continue, he and other LG representatives would step down in protest.
For the past two and a half months, major routes, including the Afghan border and the Peshawar-Parachinar Road, have remained closed to traffic. This situation escalated following an attack on passenger vehicles, leading to further tensions in Kurram.
The closure of routes has left residents of Upper Kurram grappling with severe shortages of essentials such as food, fuel, and medicines. In response, citizens have been protesting outside the Parachinar Press Club for six days.
During the protest, Chairman Hussain claimed that over 100 children had died in hospitals due to a lack of medical care, while many others lost their lives to illnesses like cancer. He warned that he and his colleagues would resign if the roads were not reopened immediately.
According to the district administration, over 100 border villages in Kurram, including Boshehra, Muqbal, Burki, Teri Mangal, and Pewar, are facing acute shortages of essential supplies. Similarly, areas like Shaluzan, Malana, Luqmankhel, Zeran, and Kardman are also suffering from a lack of food, medicines, and fuel. Officials stated that efforts are being made to resolve the issue through dialogue.