ISLAMABAD: Five people, including a top administration official, were injured after unidentified gunmen opened fire on an aid convoy en route to a restive Pakistani district that has been hit by sectarian clashes in recent weeks, officials said on Saturday.
Kurram, a northwestern district of around 600,000 people in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has been rocked by tribal and sectarian clashes since Nov. 21 when gunmen attacked a convoy of Shia passengers, killing 52.
The attack sparked further violence and blockade of a main road connecting Kurram’s main town of Parachinar with the provincial capital of Peshawar, causing medicine, food and fuel shortages in the area, as casualties surged to 136.
Saturday’s gun attack occurred near Bagan, a tense locality in the district’s center, as Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javedullah Mehsud and other officials led an aid convoy to Kurram, leaving the top officials and four security men injured.
“The deputy commissioner has been shifted from Alizai Hospital to Tal CMH [Combined Military Hospital],” said Muhammad Ali Saif, a spokesman for the KP provincial government.
“The deputy commissioner’s surgery is ongoing, but his condition is out of danger.”
Kurram police spokesman Riaz Khan told Arab News the attack injured DC Mehsud, his police guard and three members of the Frontier Corps (FC) paramilitary force.
“The deputy commissioner suffered gunshot injuries to his legs and shoulder,” the police official said.
Mehsud was leading the convoy of 17 trucks, which were carrying tents, blankets, medical kits, tarpaulins, solar lamps and sleeping bags.
“The convoy has been temporarily stopped,” Saif said. “The clearance process is ongoing, and the convoy will be sent to Kurram soon.”
Provincial authorities have previously air-dropped relief goods and airlifted ailing and injured people from Kurram to Peshawar via helicopters.
Saturday’s gun attack comes days after a grand jirga, or council of political and tribal elders formed by the KP provincial government, brokered a peace agreement between the warring Shia and Sunni tribes, following weeks of efforts.
Under the peace agreement signed on Wednesday, both sides had agreed on the demolition of bunkers and the handover of heavy weapons to the authorities within two weeks, but the attack on the aid convoy has once again cast a cloud on peace in the restive district.
“The situation is under control and security is on high alert. The government will restore peace in the region at all costs,” Saif said, urging both Sunni and Shia sides to remain peaceful and not fall prey to the “conspiracy.”
According to the peace agreement, any party that launches an attack after the signing of the deal will be considered a “terrorist” and action will be taken against it. Another point of the agreement says that a fine of Rs10 million ($35,933) will be imposed on those who would violate the terms of the deal by using weapons against each other.
Land disputes in the volatile district will be settled on a priority basis with the cooperation of local tribes and the district administration, according to the peace agreement. Opening of banned outfits’ offices will be prohibited in the district, while social media accounts spreading hate will be discouraged via collective efforts backed by the government.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the shooting incident near Bagan.
“The incident is a deliberate and nefarious but unsuccessful attempt to sabotage peace efforts,” CM Gandapur was quoted as saying by his office.
“The provincial government, with the cooperation of the area elders, will continue its efforts until complete peace is restored in the area.”
Five injured in shooting at aid convoy en route to violence-hit Pakistani district
https://arab.news/5ghhg
Five injured in shooting at aid convoy en route to violence-hit Pakistani district
- More than 130 people have died in the remote district since Nov. 21 in clashes over land, sectarian disputes
- The clashes have disconnected Kurram from the provincial capital, causing medicine, food and fuel shortages
India’s Bollywood bets big on ‘event cinema’
- Films centered on geopolitical conflict, internal enemies, masculinity now dominate mainstream Hindi cinema
- Critics argue Bollywood is using cinema’s unrivalled mass reach to shape the public sentiment in India
MUMBAI: India’s Bollywood is moving decisively toward a cinema of scale and confrontation — where patriotism, spectacle, and ideological clarity increasingly trump nuance and narrative risk, industry insiders say.
The shift has fueled what experts describe as “event cinema,” as studios rely on big-budget spectacles and top-tier stars to lure audiences — especially smartphone-loving Gen Z viewers — back into theaters.
That strategy appears to be working. Akshaye Rathi, a prominent film exhibitor, predicted a 45-50 percent rise in net Hindi box-office collections and a 25 percent increase in young theater-goers this year.
“The year looks poised for historic numbers,” Rathi told AFP.
The industry’s financial model was shaken during the Covid-19 pandemic, which coincided with the rapid rise of streaming platforms and a shift to home viewing.
But its 2026 upcoming slate, packed with patriotic war dramas, spy thrillers, mythological epics and nationalist narratives — reflects not just a commercial recalibration, analysts say, but a broader change in creative priorities.
‘PROPAGANDA’
Critics argue Bollywood is increasingly producing polarizing films aligned with the ideology of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government, using cinema’s unrivalled mass reach to shape public sentiment.
“These days film themes also depend upon who is ruling at the center — Hindu wave, propaganda... all these are big factors that filmmakers cash in on,” said movie business analyst Atul Mohan, editor of film trade magazine Complete Cinema. “But only one or two films work, not all 10 or 15.”
He cited the success of 2022 blockbuster “The Kashmir Files,” depicting in harrowing detail how several hundred thousand Hindus fled Muslim militants in Indian-administered Kashmir in 1989-90.
And he compared that with the 2025 film “The Bengal Files,” on alleged political violence in eastern India, which he described as a commercial “disaster.”
Films centered on geopolitical conflict, internal enemies, and heroic masculinity now dominate mainstream Hindi cinema, reflecting both the political mood and the economics of theatrical survival.
Last year’s gory action thriller “Dhurandhar,” meaning “formidable,” leaned heavily on hyper-nationalist tropes of Indian agents confronting Pakistan-linked foes, and became one of 2025’s highest-grossing films — following a real-life four-day border clash with Pakistan.
Its sequel, “Dhurandhar 2,” again starring Ranveer Singh, is set for release in March.
‘GRATUITIOUS VIOLENCE’
Veteran Delhi-based film critic Arnab Banerjee said political messaging now outweighs craftsmanship.
“It is not the quality of the film that matters today, it is propaganda films that are working,” said Banerjee.
“The mood of the nation is such that people are lapping up these subjects. Pakistan-bashing and references to enemy countries are being accepted without questioning.”
Banerjee also criticized what he called an excess of “gratuitous violence,” arguing that “it is social media hype that is deciding the film’s fate.”
He pointed to “Ikkis,” a film on the 1971 India-Pakistan war released in January, which struggled commercially despite positive reviews.
“It is a well-made film, but it didn’t work,” he said. “Perhaps because Pakistan is not shown as the enemy.”
Director Ahmed Khan, however, said quality still ultimately determines success, citing his upcoming action-comedy “Welcome to the Jungle,” starring Akshay Kumar.
“Whatever the genre — action, drama, comedy or horror — it depends on how well you’ve made it,” Khan said.
He pointed to the 2025 successes of the contrasting romantic drama “Saiyaara” as well as high-octane “Dhurandhar.”
“Both, poles apart in genre, did great business,” he said. “People’s mood can change any time.”
