PESHAWAR: The government in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday formed a ‘supervisory committee’ to implement measures aimed at restoring peace in the region’s Kurram district, which has been marred by deadly sectarian clashes since last month.
Sectarian feuding in Kurram has claimed at least 133 lives, with over 177 injured in sporadic clashes since Nov. 21. A grand jirga was formed last week to broker a truce after two previous deals to stymie the fighting failed. Last Friday, warring sides in Kurram agreed to an indefinite ceasefire.
Pakistan is a Sunni-majority country, but Kurram has a large Shiite population, and the communities have clashed for decades.
The provincial committee has also been formed in the backdrop of a rise in militancy in KP in recent months, with groups like the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, daily targeting security forces’ convoys and check posts, and carrying out targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials.
“The following Provincial Supervisory Committee is hereby constituted by the KP CM,” a notification by the KP Home and Tribal Affairs Department said, adding that the body would implement the provincial cabinet’s measures to ensure “stability and peace of the [Kurram] region.”
The body, which will meet weekly, will be headed by Muhammad Ali Saif, an adviser to the KP chief minister, and will be assisted by members of the civil administration and law enforcement agencies, the notification added, without giving any details of the exact mandate of the committee.
Last week, an All Parties Conference organized by opposition parties in KP had blamed the federal and provincial governments for “failing” to address security challenges as the region faces a rise in militant attacks and weeks of sectarian feuding.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan is the ruling party in KP but did not attend the gathering.
Pakistani northwestern province forms committee to ensure peace in district marred by sectarian clashes
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Pakistani northwestern province forms committee to ensure peace in district marred by sectarian clashes
- KP’s Kurram district is in grips of sectarian feuding with at least 133 people killed and 177 injured since Nov. 21
- Committee also formed in backdrop of rise in militancy in KP in recent months, with daily attacks by TTP group
Pakistan finance chief calls for stronger emerging market voice during Saudi conference
- Aurangzeb tells Saudi state media developing economies must assume larger global role
- Minister says AlUla conference can strengthen coordination among emerging economies
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday called for developing economies to play a greater role in shaping global economic governance in an interview on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies in Saudi Arabia.
The conference, hosted by the Kingdom’s Finance Ministry, brings together top government functionaries, central bank governors and policymakers from emerging markets to discuss debt sustainability, macroeconomic coordination and structural reforms amid global economic uncertainty.
In a conversation with the Saudi Press Agency, Aurangzeb described the conference as a timely platform for dialogue at a moment of heightened geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation and rapid technological change, including advances in artificial intelligence.
“It is not merely about discussions but about translating deliberations into concrete policy actions and execution over the course of the year,” he said, according to a statement circulated by the Finance Division in Islamabad.
The minister said emerging markets’ growing share of global output and growth should be matched by greater influence in international decision-making.
He noted these economies must strengthen collective dialogue and coordinated policy responses to address shared challenges, adding that the global landscape had evolved significantly since the inaugural edition of the conference.
Aurangzeb expressed confidence that the outcomes of the AlUla Conference would contribute to strengthening coordination among emerging economies and reinforcing their collective voice in shaping a more inclusive and resilient global economic order, the statement added.
