Chopper carrying KP govt delegation 'attacked' in Parachinar

PARACHINAR: A chopper carrying a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government delegation from Peshawar to Kurram district has reportedly come under attack in Parachinar on Friday, national media reported, quoting sources. 

The sources said that the delegation — headed by KP Law Minister Aftab Alam — was tasked by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to visit Kurram district following deadly gun attack on a convoy of vehicles which left 44 dead and scores wounded.

Other members of the delegation include KP Chief Secretary Aslam Chaudhry, Kohat Division commissioner, Kohat Deputy Inspector General (DIG), and others, they added.

According to details available, the helicopter made safe landing following the firing incident while all delegation members remained safe.

Several hundred people demonstrated in Lahore and Karachi.

In Parachinar, thousands participated in a sit-in, while hundreds attended the funerals of the victims.

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) urged authorities this month to pay “urgent attention” to the “alarming frequency of clashes” in the region, warning that the situation has escalated to “the proportions of a humanitarian crisis.”

“The fact that local rival groups clearly have access to heavy weaponry indicates that the state has been unable to control the flow of arms into the region,” HRCP said in a statement.