Curfew in several areas: 36 held after Kurram killings
PARACHINAR / ISLAMABAD: Charkhel and adjacent localities on Thall-Parachinar Road were placed under curfew on Sunday and 36 suspects were picked up during a crackdown launched after an attack on a convoy of buses a day earlier killed 18 passengers in Kurram Agency.
Security forces were searching for the seven passengers who were kidnapped by the attackers.
Sources said that political authorities combed Charkhel, Manduri, Ahmadi Shama and other localities and arrested at least 36 suspects.
These areas were placed under curfew after the convoy came under attack on Saturday.
In Islamabad, a group of elders from Kurram Agency held a meeting on Sunday and said the government had failed to ensure security on the Parachinar-Peshawar Road.
The meeting expressed anger over the fact that the militants were able to attack the convoy though it was being escorted by security personnel.
The elders said that the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, political agent of Kurram Agency, commandant Kurram militia and MNA Munir Orakzai were responsible for the tragedy and called upon the president and the prime minister to take action against them.
They said the Parachinar-Peshawar Road had been lying closed for three years, which serves to prove that the government has failed to ensure security on the route.
The elders said they had no representation at any forum to take up the problem with the government, adding that even the MNA of the area, Munir Orakzai, was reluctant to raise his voice against the killing of innocent people in terrorist attacks.
The meeting appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, to take suo motu notice of the situation.
They said that Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kiani during a visit to Parachinar recently had assured the people that they would be provided safe travelling facilities. However, they regretted, the promise remains to be fulfilled.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik held several meetings with the people of the area and assured them that the road would be made safe but to no avail, the meeting was informed.
About a week ago, the elders said, Kurram Militia commandant Colonel Tauseef Ahmad announced on a TV channel that the area was safe and the road would be opened.
They urged the government to take action against these officials and pay compensation to relatives of those killed in the attack.
Those who attended the meeting included former MNAs Syed Munir Said Mian and Dr Syed Javed Hussain, Air Marshal (retd) Syed Qaisar Hussain, Ali Hasan Tori and Shabir Hussain Sajidi.
