By Aqeel Yousafzai
It is both tragic and alarming that in the 21st century, the Pakistani state has failed to bring lasting peace to Kurram, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This prolonged crisis raises troubling questions about the government’s competence and exposes a governance vacuum that continues to tarnish Pakistan’s image globally.
The situation could have been avoided had the authorities taken timely and decisive action instead of relying on half-measures and political maneuvering. What we are witnessing today is the fallout of negligence and short-sightedness—a crisis that now threatens to erode public trust in the state itself.
The reality is harsh but clear: the government’s writ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is barely visible. If this trend continues, the state risks losing its credibility entirely. The events unfolding in Kurram are a stark reminder of this failure. The fact that a deputy commissioner’s convoy was attacked in broad daylight, and relief convoys were delayed due to administrative paralysis, is a damning indictment of the government’s ineffectiveness.
Who are the protestors holding multiple sit-ins, and why has the administration been reduced to a silent spectator? Why has Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif’s government been unable to resolve the crisis despite having months to act? How can a nuclear-armed country allow its governance to collapse in a single district, turning its authority into a farce?
Arresting a suspect involved in the attack on the deputy commissioner may be a step forward, but it does not address the larger question—how did things spiral so far out of control in the first place?
If the crisis in Kurram is truly a local issue, why hasn’t it been resolved? Why has the provincial government failed to treat it with the urgency it demands? The state’s inaction has turned a manageable conflict into a national embarrassment.
This situation demands more than hollow statements and cosmetic measures. It calls for a reassertion of state authority and the restoration of public confidence. The stakeholders must explain why this government deserves to remain in power and what justifies its continued existence. Pakistan cannot afford to be reduced to a banana republic. The time for excuses has passed. It is now a matter of survival.