PARACHINAR: The Parachinar sit-in against the prolonged closure of roads in the district headquarters Parachinar entered its 24th consecutive day on Tuesday. However, despite Ramadan and the prolonged sit-in, no representative of the government or officials from the district government attempted to convince them to end the sit-in.
The protesters say that the sit-in will not end until their demands are met.
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.
The main road connecting Parachinar to the rest of the country has remained closed for the 177th consecutive day. The Kharlachi border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan has also closed since then.
The roadblock and the ongoing closure of the border crossing have halted trade activities and led to critical shortages of essential supplies, including food and medicines in Parachinar. The closure has significantly impacted daily life and economic activities.
The roadblock and the ongoing closure of the Kharlachi border crossing have halted trade activities and led to critical shortages of essential supplies, including food and medicines in Parachinar. The closure has significantly impacted daily life and economic activities.
The residents staged a protest sit-in against the prolonged closure of roads in the district headquarters Parachinar, which entered its seventh consecutive day on Saturday.
The locals say that life has been severely affected by the prolonged road closure. Despite the holy month of Ramadan, more than a hundred villages, including Parachinar city, remain under siege.
They said essential goods are in short supply, and citizens are forced to buy basic items at inflated prices.
The residents’ protest sit-in outside the Parachinar Press Club, demanding the immediate reopening of roads to and from Kurram. They also demanded a relief package for families affected by the lack of medical treatment due to ongoing unrest.
Organizers say the protest will continue until their demands are met.
The protesters are calling for the reopening of the main road in Tal Parachinar to ease their daily struggles.
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.
Also Read: Locals start evacuation ahead of possible operation in Lower Kurram
The protesters, however, refused to end the protest and said that the sit-in would continue until the roads were reopened and made safe for travel.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has so far sent only two aid convoys to Kurram in the month of Ramadan but despite high demands, essential goods remain scarce.
The aid supply was suspended following a deadly attack on an aid convoy on February 17.
Also Read: Resource shortage forces School closures in Parachinar
The Tal-Parachinar highway has been shut for over five and a half months. Severe shortages force many citizens to go hungry.
Fuel shortages and power outages have worsened the water crisis.
