PESHAWAR: Authorities in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province have started dismantling bunkers built by rival tribes in the Kurram district, which has been hit by deadly clashes in the last two months, an official said on Monday.
Kurram, a northwestern district of around 600,000 people in KP, has been rocked by tribal and sectarian clashes since November 21, when armed men attacked a convoy of Shia passengers, killing 52 people.
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.
Authorities last week issued a notification regarding dismantling of the bunkers in Lower Kurram, more than a week after a council of tribal and political elders brokered a peace deal between the two sides.
“One bunker each has been demolished in Balishkhel and Khar Kali area of Lower Kurram and arrangements for the demolition of the rest are being made,” Lower Kurram Assistant Commissioner Hafeez-ur-Rehman told Arab News over the phone.
“The bunkers are being dismantled using explosives, under the supervision of the district administration.”
Under the peace agreement signed on Jan. 1, both sides agreed on the demolition of bunkers and the handover of heavy weapons to authorities within two weeks.
Any party that launches an attack after the signing of the deal will be considered a “terrorist” and action will be taken against it. A fine of Rs10 million ($35,933) will be imposed on those who violate the terms of the deal by using weapons against each other, according to the peace agreement.
Land disputes in the volatile district will be settled on a priority basis with the cooperation of local tribes and the district administration. 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.
The decisions were made by the KP apex committee, which comprises civilian and military leadership in the province.
Muhammad Ali Saif, a spokesperson for the KP government, confirmed the start of a drive to demolish all such structures in the volatile district.
“All bunkers will be dismantled in light of the apex committee decision and the peace agreement,” he said, adding that it was essential to restore peace in the area.
However, a shortage of food and medicines persists in the district and provincial authorities have been supplying relief goods and transporting ailing and injured people from Kurram to Peshawar via helicopters.
Authorities start dismantling bunkers in clashes-hit northwestern Pakistani district
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Authorities start dismantling bunkers in clashes-hit northwestern Pakistani district
- Tribal and sectarian clashes since Nov. 21 have killed at least 136 people in Kurram, causing medicine, food and fuel shortages
- On Jan. 1, warring sides agreed on the demolition of bunkers and handover of heavy weapons to authorities under a peace agreement
Islamabad court sentences seven individuals to life imprisonment over ‘digital terrorism’
- The convicts include Wajahat Saeed Khan, Shaheen Sahbahi, Haider Raza Mehdi, Adil Raja, Moeed Peerzada, Akbar Hussain and Sabir Shakir
- The cases against them relate to May 9, 2023 riots over ex-PM Imran Khan’s arrest that saw vandalization of government, military installations
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday awarded two life sentences each to seven individuals, including journalists and YouTubers, over “digital terrorism,” in connection with May 9, 2023 riot cases.
The court sentenced Wajahat Saeed Khan, Shaheen Sahbahi, Haider Raza Mehdi, Adil Raja, Moeed Peerzada, Akbar Hussain and Sabir Shakir under various sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Pakistan Penal Code.
The riots had erupted after former prime minister Imran Khan was briefly arrested in Islamabad on corruption charges on May 9, 2023, with his supporters attacking government buildings and military installations in several cities.
ATC judge Tahir Sipra announced the reserved verdict, following a trial in absentia of the above-mentioned individuals who were accused of “digital terrorism against the state on May 9.”
“The punishment awarded will be subject to the confirmation by Hon’ble Islamabad High Court,” the verdict read, referring to each count of punishment awarded to the convicts.
It also imposed multiple fined on the convicted journalists and YouTubers, who many see as being closed to Khan.
The prosecution presented 24 witnesses, while the court had appointed Gulfam Goraya as the counsel of the accused, most of whom happen to be outside Pakistan.
Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws allow trials in absentia of the accused persons.
Thousands of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were detained in the days that followed the May 2023 riots and hundreds were charged under anti-terrorism laws in a sweeping crackdown, with several cases transferred to military courts.
The government of PM Shehbaz Sharif accuses Khan’s party of staging violent protests in a bid to incite mutiny in the armed forces and to derail democracy in the country. The PTI denies inciting supporters to violence and says the government used the May 2023 protests as a pretext to victimize the party, a claim denied by the government.
The May 2023 riots took place a little over a year after Khan fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military, blaming the institution for colluding with his rivals to oust him from office in a parliamentary no-trust vote, a charge denied by the military.
Khan, who has been jailed since Aug. 2023 on a slew of charges, has led a campaign of unprecedented defiance against the country’s powerful military. He also accuses the then generals of rigging the Feb. 8, 2024 election in collusion with the election commission and his political rivals to keep him from returning to power. The military, election commission and Khan’s rivals deny the allegation.
