Aid flights landed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Parachinar city in Kurram district on Tuesday where thousands of people have been stranded because of clashes that have killed at least 130 people since last month.
Scores have been wounded and many displaced in the weeks-long clashes, as heavy exchange of fire and arson continued in the Kurram tribal district. The clashes started in the wake of an attack on a convoy that claimed at least 43 lives on November 21.
Residents have reported food and medicine shortages in parts of Kurram district, which borders Afghanistan, as the government struggles to end a reignited feud between tribes stemming from decades-old tensions over farmland.
Faisal Edhi, son of world-famous philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi and chairman of the Edhi Foundation, along with his team, arrived in Parachinar today to assess the issues faced by residents affected by the ongoing unrest there.
Speaking to the media after arriving via Edhi Air Ambulance, Faisal said, “I have personally come to evaluate the difficulties of the people affected by the unrest and to ensure support reaches those in need.”
He further stated that the Edhi Air Ambulance would play a critical role in delivering medical supplies from Peshawar to Parachinar, connecting routes to which have remained cut off due to security reasons, leading to shortages of medicine and food supplies.
The air ambulance would also transport patients from Parachinar to Peshawar for further medical treatment, Faisal added.
Upon arrival at the Parachinar airport, Faisal proceeded to the local hospital to oversee operations and coordinate relief efforts.
Sher Gul, the local head of Edhi, told AFP that they would make several flights a day from Peshawar to Parachinar for the rest of the week, depending on the weather.
“We plan to bring around three wounded back on each flight […] and deliver medicines for the injured,” he said.
Various truces have been announced since the latest round of fighting began, as elders from the two sides negotiate a lasting agreement.
In the meantime, the government has shut down key roads in and out of the district in an attempt to quell the violence. Mobile and internet services are also disrupted in the area.
At least 133 people have been killed and 177 wounded in sporadic clashes since November 21, according to AFP. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has said 79 people had been killed in the region between July and October.
Police have regularly struggled to control violence in Kurram, which was part of the semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas until it was merged with KP in 2018.
The feuding is generally rekindled by disputes over land in the rugged mountainous region, and fuelled by underlying tensions between the warring tribes.
