KURRAM, Pakistan: A jirga comprising tribal elders and officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after four days of clashes on the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The skirmishes between the forces of both countries escalated on Friday, prompting large-scale displacement from villages and settlements near the Kharlachi border crossing in Kurram.
The truce has restored peace in the area, and the border crossing is expected to reopen soon.
Tribal elders, local elders, priests, and officials from both sides attended the jirga, which took place at the Kharlachi border crossing. In order to keep the peace in the neighborhood, the meeting decided to create a joint peace committee and vowed to settle disputes peacefully.
The members of the jirga decided to carry out the ceasefire in letter and spirit in light of the issues that people on both sides of the border face. Consequently, the crossing would open right away. Additionally, the two parties decided to get together again shortly.
Some locals who had left the area due to clashes have returned following the peace deal. A local resident, Shah Nawaz, said that residents faced severe hardships due to the clashes that began earlier this week. Schools in border areas were closed, and cross-border trade remained suspended.
While no official statements were released but casualties are feared as two sides traded fire. At her weekly press briefing on Friday, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was repeatedly asked about the situation on the Afghan border.
