PESHAWAR: An eight-month peace agreement was reached on Saturday between warring factions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s restive Kurram district, with all sides pledging to resolve future disputes through legal means, according to a statement shared by a police official.
Kurram, a tribal district of around 600,000 people bordering Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni tribes. Clashes between the two sides have killed more than 150 people since November, while militant attacks and retaliatory violence have claimed even more lives of people and security personnel during months of unrest.
The violence also created a humanitarian crisis, with road blockades cutting off access to food, fuel and life-saving medicines, leading to the reported deaths of dozens of children.
“Representatives of both sides agreed to maintain peace for a period of eight months in order to prevent any kind of conflict in the area and to work toward improving the situation,” said a statement shared by district police spokesperson Riaz Khan.
The deal was struck following a jirga, or tribal council, held in the presence of provincial authorities and the local administration.
The agreement builds on the Kohat Agreement, a peace framework developed last year that called for a ceasefire, disarmament, the dismantling of private bunkers in the area and government oversight to ensure sustainable peace.
“Under this agreement, if any untoward incident occurs on the road, legal action will be taken against the responsible party in accordance with the ‘Kohat Agreement,’” the statement continued.
“Both sides pledged that in the event of any incident that could harm peace in the area, they would consult with each other and seek a solution through legal means,” it added.
It was also agreed that the main road through Kurram, closed for months due to violence, will be formally reopened in a joint announcement by the government and state institutions to ease public hardship and facilitate travel.
Eight-month peace deal reached after deadly clashes in Pakistan’s Kurram district
https://arab.news/pjxm9
Eight-month peace deal reached after deadly clashes in Pakistan’s Kurram district
- The peace deal follows last year’s Kohat Agreement, which called for a ceasefire and removal of private bunkers
- Violence in Kurram lasted for months, triggered a humanitarian crisis, cutting off access to food, fuel and medicine
Pakistan PM takes notice of passenger offloading issue, forms committee to streamline immigration
- Several passengers complained last month of being offloaded at airports despite having genuine travel documents
- Committee comprising IT minister to be led by minister for overseas Pakistanis, submit report to PM within three weeks
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of reports of arbitrary offloading of Pakistani passengers at various airports and has constituted a 14-member committee to streamline immigration procedures, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis said this week.
The development took place after several passengers last month complained they were being offloaded at various Pakistani airports despite carrying valid travel documents, drawing public ire on social media platforms.
These reports coincided with Islamabad’s crackdown on illegal immigration, which gained significant attention in Pakistan after the arrest of several Pakistani and foreign nationals at airports with forged documents in recent years.
As per a notification by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis seen by Arab News dated Dec. 15, Sharif has formed a 14-member committee comprising the federal IT minister, state minister for overseas Pakistanis, and secretaries of both ministries. The committee will be led by the federal minister for overseas Pakistanis.
“A committee comprising the following members has been constituted to deliberate upon and implement measures for eliminating and minimizing human discretionary elements in the issuance and renewal of the Protectorate of Emigrants (POE) stamp for bona fide emigrants proceeding abroad,” the notification reads.
A POE stamp is a mandatory government endorsement on a Pakistani passport that is required by a citizen traveling abroad for employment.
The committee’s terms of reference (ToRs) include suggesting a “workable and end-to-end digitized process” for online issuance of POE stamps. It has also been tasked to undertake measures to develop a system to facilitate the online renewal of POE stamps.
The committee will suggest a mechanism to monitor workers’ satisfaction with the issuance, renewal of POE stamps and related immigration clearance arrangements.
“[Provide] recommendations for any other related measures which can improve the existing POE arrangements and bring them in line with international best practices,” it added.
The notification said the committee will finalize its findings within three weeks and submit a report to the prime minister.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi last month urged authorities not to offload passengers with valid travel documents.
Pakistan has also intensified its crackdown against individuals accused of exploiting visas to solicit money in Saudi Arabia.
Officials have warned the practice is damaging the country’s image and could affect genuine visa seekers, including religious pilgrims.
