KOHAT: A convoy carrying essential foods, medicine and other necessities will leave for Parachinar, the headquarters of the Kurram district, on Thursday (today).
Official sources confirmed that it is the second aid convoy in Ramadan to transport food, fruits, vegetables, and other necessities to Upper Kurram. Several vehicles stranded in Tall, Hangu, for the past two months will also move to Parachinar.
On March 4, the third day of Ramadan, an aid convoy of 113 small and large vehicles carrying food, medicine and other basic necessities arrived in Parachinar after a period of 15 days.
The aid supply was suspended following a deadly attack on an aid convoy on February 17.
However, the main sit-in of the residents against road closures in the district — being staged outside the Parachinar Press Club — will continue their protest until roads are open and secure.
The protest sit-in of residents against the prolonged closure of roads and Kharlachi crossing between Pakistan and Afgahnistan in the district headquarters Parachinar entered its 11th day today.
The protesters were demanding the reopening of roads to and from Kurram, which had been closed for the last five months, leaving a population of over 0.5 million without access to essential food items and medical care.
Terming the aid convoy a dire need, Trade Union Parachinar urged for more aid to meet public needs of the public.
Elders addressing the protest sit-in said that families of 500 individuals—many of them children—who lost their lives due to a lack of medical treatment during the crisis should be compensated under a martyr package.
They said that the closure of roads has left a population of over 0.5 million without access to essential food items and medical care.
The district administration requested the protesters to end the sit-in, attributing the road closures to security concerns. Officials assured that various steps are being taken to provide relief to the affected population and they have acknowledged the severity of the crisis.
The protesters, however, refused to end the six-day long protest and said that the sit-in would continue until the roads are reopened and made safe for travel.
This week, an aid convoy of 113 small and large vehicles carrying food, medicine and other basic necessities arrived in Parachinar after a period of 15 days.
The trade union President Haji Imdad said that relief trucks were sent to different areas of Lower Kurram.
The aid supply was suspended following a deadly attack on an aid convoy on February 17.
Protesters said essential goods remain scarce, even during Ramadan. They blamed the government for failing to open roads closed for five months.
Inflation in Parachinar has worsened. Elders criticized the authorities for keeping the Tall-Parachinar highway shut despite Ramadan.
The business community warned that road closures have caused severe shortages. Citizens struggle to find basic necessities.
Sugar, flour, ghee, and other necessities have disappeared from markets. A 50 kg bag of sugar is being sold on the black market for Rs 13,000. Ghee, oil, and Ramadan essentials remain scarce.
Common vegetables like cauliflower cost Rs 500 per kg, onions and tomatoes Rs 300 per kg, malta Rs 600 per dozen, and apples between Rs 400 and Rs 700 per kg. Meat prices have also surged, with small meat selling for Rs 2,500 per kg and large meat with bones for Rs 1,500 per kg.
A severe fuel shortage has added to the crisis. Petrol and diesel are being sold illegally for Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 per liter.
Also Read: Resource shortage forces School closures in Parachinar
The Tal-Parachinar highway has been shut for over five months. Severe shortages force many citizens to go hungry.
