ISLAMABAD: At least 42 people were killed and several others injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a convoy of passenger vehicles in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), yesterday. The attack occurred in the remote Ochut area, a mountainous region of K-P, as the convoy was traveling from Parachinar to Peshawar.

According to police reports, the gunmen, positioned on surrounding hills, launched a heavy assault on the vehicles with automatic weapons. The attack resulted in the deaths of 38 individuals, including a woman. Several others sustained injuries, many of them critical, raising concerns that the death toll may rise further.

Medical teams were promptly dispatched to the area, and the wounded passengers were transferred to nearby hospitals for treatment. The provincial government has deployed additional security forces to the region, and a perimeter has been established around the site of the attack.

Authorities have initiated search operations in the area to locate the attackers. As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the assault, and the motive behind the ambush remains unclear.

President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident and expressed his condolences to the bereaved of the deceased. “Attacking innocent passengers is a cowardly and inhumane act,” he was quoted as saying in a post on X by PPP’s media cell.

He added that those responsible for the incident should be punished. He urged that timely medical aid be provided to the injured.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif similarly ordered that the best medical facilities be provided to the people injured in the attack in a statement condemning the attack. He issued a directive to identify the attackers and punish them.

“The enemies of the peace of the country attacked the convoy of innocent citizens which is tantamount to brutality. All attempts of anti-national elements to destroy the peace of the beloved country will be thwarted.

“The evil elements involved in the incident will be identified and punished accordingly. Saboteurs cannot demoralise the brave Pakistani nation by such cowardly actions,” he said.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the incident during a press conference in Islamabad, confirming the death toll and calling it a tragic loss. He also expressed solidarity with the victims’ families.

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur took strict notice of the incident and also condemned it. He directed a delegation comprising the chief secretary, provincial law minister and the area’s MNA and MPA to visit Kurram immediately and personally assess the conditions there and submit a report.

The chief minister also called for the area’s jirga to be reactivated to improve the situation in Kurram. “Work should be done to establish a provincial highways police to secure all highways in the province,” CM Gandapur said in directions to authorities.

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 22 2024

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