Residents of Kurram Agency mostly students on Friday started hunger strike in front of National Press Club to press the government for solid measures to restore peace in the restive region. Organised by "Youth of Parachinar," the protest camp was joined by dozens of people belonging to Kurram Agency, holding placards and demanding of the government to take practical measure to open Thall-Parachinar Road, which has been closed for four years due to lawlessness.
Talking to Business Recorder, the protesting students alleged that the government has completely failed in providing security to the people, adding that people belonging to Turi tribe of the Kurram Agency were being kidnapped and killed on the Thall-Parachinar road while the government was unable to take action against handful of militants.
"The government is responsible for the loss of the lives of the innocent people of the Kurram Agency by giving free hand to the militants," said Mehdi Hussain, a participant of the hunger strike camp, adding that 40 people of the Turi tribe were kidnapped last month and eight out of them were brutally killed.
He said that Kurram Agency was facing acute shortage of life saving drugs and daily use food and other products due to the blockage of the only road that links the troubled areas with rest of the country. The protesters urged Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of the situation and issue direction to the government to undertake necessary measures to open the road on permanent basis and provide security to the passengers. They also called upon human rights organisations to help the people in need adding patients including women and children breath their last in misery due to lack of life saving drugs in the troubled areas.
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