Police on Tuesday arrested 50 members of a tribal jirga from Kurram Agency after they failed to reach an agreement. Hangu District Nazim Shah Hussain told Daily Times that the detained members included 25 elders each from the Shia and Sunni sects of Kurram Agency. They had been tasked with finalising proof of those responsible for violating the peace agreement between the two sects.However, the two sides could not reach a final decision after 10 days of deliberations, resulting in the police arresting them on the recommendations of a 16-member Hangu Peace Jirga led by District Nazim Shah Hussain and Orakzai Agency Political Agent Zaheerul Islam.
According to officials, the Kurram Agency jirga members were provided boarding and lodging at a hotel for 10 days, besides transport in a helicopter from Kurram Agency to Peshawar. They were asked to prove the guilt of the people who violated an earlier peace accord so that they could be fined Rs 2 million.
However, no complaints were lodged, apparently with mutual understanding to avoid the fine as both sides had violated the accord. Ultimately, the political agent and the Hangu Peace Jirga asked the local police to arrest all of them. More than 600 people have been killed, and nearly 1,500 injured, with huge losses to public and private property since the breaking out of sectarian clashes in Kurram Agency in early April.