The chief of the religiopolitical Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) on Wednesday night called off its sit-ins in the country following the successful peace agreement between various factions in Kurram to end the violence in the restive district.
A Grand Jirga succeeded in securing a peace accord today after three weeks of efforts to broker a ceasefire amid violence in the area. Clashes stemming from decades-old land disputes have claimed at least 130 lives since last month, with food and medicine shortages reported due to weeks-long road blockades.
Residents in Upper Kurram’s Parachinar have also been staging a sit-in since December 20, which a Dawn.com correspondent confirmed was continuing today, against the law and order situation there as well as road closures.
The MWM had given a country-wide call of protests to express solidarity with the people of Parachinar, following which sit-ins in Karachi began on December 24, and expanded further last Thursday, leading to traffic disruptions.
The announcement to end the sit-ins by MWM chief Senator Allama Raja Nasir spelt an end to Karachi’s traffic woes as residents continued to face difficulty for a seventh day due to protests continuing earlier today despite last night’s violence.
In a post on X, Senator Nasir said: “I announce the end of the ongoing sit-ins and protests in Pakistan and around the world in support of the oppressed people of Kurram and Parachinar districts. The elders, youth, and women who sat on sit-ins in solidarity with their compatriots in the bitter cold from Karachi to Khyber are all great and unparalleled people who have awakened the government and security agencies from their slumber.
“The peace agreement between the parties in Kurram district is welcome. However, until the agreement is fully implemented, we will continue to raise our voice and continue our efforts at every forum until the problems of Kurram district are permanently resolved.”
