Latest news with #Kurram
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Tribal elders in Pakistan's northwest urge Afghanistan talks for peace, reopening of trade routes
PESHAWAR: Tribal elders from Pakistan's northwestern Kurram region on Saturday called for negotiations with Afghanistan and the opening of cross-border trade routes during a consultative gathering arranged by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial administration to discuss the overall security situation in the region. Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has launched a series of regional jirgas, or tribal councils, to deliberate on issues affecting the province, particularly its tribal districts, amid a surge of militant violence and counter-operations by security forces. The gatherings bring together tribal elders, local lawmakers and officials to find a way out of the current security situation in the area. The last in the series brought together influential figures from Upper, Central and Lower Kurram, a former semi-autonomous tribal area bordering Afghanistan with a long history of violent conflicts that have claimed hundreds of lives. Last year alone, tribal clashes along sectarian lines in the district persisted for months, killing more than 100 people and displacing many more. 'For a permanent solution to the problem, a powerful council comprising federal and provincial governments, security agencies and local tribal elders should be formed to hold negotiations with Afghanistan, because Kurram's peace is linked to Afghanistan,' the jirga said in its recommendations. 'Trade routes should be opened with Afghanistan to provide employment to the area's residents,' it added. Much of the country's northwestern tribal belt has a narrow economic base, historically dependent on cross-border movement. Traditionally, residents of the areas crisscrossed between what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan, with tribal communities spread across both sides of the frontier. Past efforts to launch livelihood projects in the area have also had limited impact. Participants of Saturday's jirga expressed appreciation for the provincial government's efforts to restore stability in Kurram. They said the residents of the district were united for peace and pledged to assist the government in any way necessary to maintain it. 'Peace is our basic need,' the jirga statement said. 'If there is peace, there will be development.' It added the people of Kurram opposed 'all forms of terrorism' and stood by the government in efforts to counter it. The gathering was also attended by provincial and national legislators from the district along with administrative and law enforcement officials.
Arab News
25-06-2025
- Arab News
Landmine blast kills four in restive northwest Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A land mine explosion killed four people and wounded a number of others in northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram district on Wednesday, police said. The blast occurred when one of the victims stepped on the device in a forested area in Kurram. Habibullah Khan, the district police officer, said the dead and a number of wounded were transported to a hospital in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. He did not say how many people had been wounded. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast and Khan said they are investigating the incident in Kurram, which has a history of sectarian conflict between Sunni and minority Shiite groups. A ceasefire brokered by local elders has largely held between Sunni and Shiite tribes in Kurram since January. Although sporadic gun attacks between the two sides are not uncommon in the region, land mine blasts are rare. Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. The area has a history of sectarian conflict.
Arab News
25-06-2025
- Arab News
Landmine blast kills 4 people, wounds some others in restive northwest Pakistan
ESHAWAR, Pakistan: A land mine explosion killed four people and wounded a number of other in northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram district on Wednesday, police said. The blast occurred when one of the victims stepped on the device in a forested area in Kurram, where sectarian clashes between Shiites and Sunnis Muslims left 130 people dead last year. Habibullah Khan, the district police officer, said the dead and an a number wounded were transported to a hospital in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. He did not say how many people had been wounded. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast and Khan said they are investigating the incident in Kurram, which has a history of sectarian conflict with militant Sunni groups previously targeting minority Shiites. A ceasefire brokered by local elders has largely held between Sunni and Shiite tribes in Kurram since January. Although sporadic gun attacks between the two sides are not uncommon in the region, land mine blasts are rare. Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. The area has a history of sectarian conflict.
Associated Press
25-06-2025
- Associated Press
Landmine blast kills 4 people, wounds some others in restive northwest Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A landmine explosion killed four people and wounded a number of other in northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram district on Wednesday, police said. The blast occurred when one of the victims stepped on the device in a forested area in Kurram, where sectarian clashes between Shiites and Sunnis Muslims left 130 people dead last year. Habibullah Khan, the district police officer, said the dead and an a number wounded were transported to a hospital in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. He did not say how many people had been wounded. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast and Khan said they are investigating the incident in Kurram, which has a history of sectarian conflict with militant Sunni groups previously targeting minority Shiites. A ceasefire brokered by local elders has largely held between Sunni and Shiite tribes in Kurram since January. Although sporadic gun attacks between the two sides are not uncommon in the region, landmine blasts are rare. Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. The area has a history of sectarian conflict.
NDTV
05-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
"Suddenly Getting Callbacks": How Job Candidate's Cover Letter Tweak Impressed Recruiters
A job seeker recently shared his experience on Reddit, where he sent over 50 job applications with carefully crafted cover letters but received zero responses. However, after using AI to refine his cover letter, he suddenly started getting multiple callbacks within a week. One recruiter even praised his "thoughtful and personalised" cover letter, sparking curiosity about the role of AI in job hunting. "Pretty much what the title says. I was frustrated after sending out 50+ applications with carefully crafted cover letters and getting zero responses. Then I realised recruiters probably skim these things for 10 seconds max anyway. So my new job application process is to generate a cover letter with AI, spend 2 minutes tweaking it, and attach it to applications. Results so far are 6 callbacks in two weeks compared to 0 callbacks over the previous two months. Of the 15 or so applications I've sent with AI letters, almost half got responses. And the funniest part is one recruiter specifically complimented my "thoughtful and personalised cover letter," he wrote on Reddit. See the post here: by u/Kurram in recruitinghell The Reddit post sparked a divided reaction. While some users praised his approach, others found it disheartening that AI played a significant role in his success. One user wrote, "It is starting to become the only way to get an interview is to use ai to write something other ai finds attractive and nothing to do with the job or who can do the job. Farsical." Another commented, "Soon we'll just have AIs interviewing other AIs while we humans sit back and watch the show. The funniest part is when you actually get to the interview and they ask "so tell me about yourself" as if they didn't just approve your AI-generated cover letter that claimed you're passionate about their company values. The whole system is becoming this weird game where whoever has the best prompting skills gets the job." A third said, "Recruiters using it, seekers using it. Nothing is real. The ai wars have begun." A fourth added, "What was the difference between the AI version and the one you wrote yourself? Key words? Phrasing? More catchy opening hook?"
