THE truce between warring factions of the Shia Tori and Sunni Bangash tribes fighting in the restive Kurram Agency is surely a silver lining in an otherwise bleak situation, yet given the bloodshed that has already occurred, it remains to be seen how the initiative would help prevent further chaos. The accord was brokered with the help of the grand tribal jirga and political administration in Islamabad and Murree, which indicates that the Agency was still mired in violence. According to the agreement, both sides would exchange kidnapped people and bodies of the men killed in the conflict, besides helping the authorities establish peace. In recent times the conflict in Kurram has emerged as the most shocking example of sectarian bloodletting. The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that the conflict has claimed hundreds of lives and rendered many homeless. The main sufferer again is the civilian population, which has been caught in the crossfire. The situation was made worse, as food and medical supplies to the region were suspended because of the blockade of the Parachinar road. It was rather sad that the government kept the issue on the backburner, focusing all its energies on the War on Terror front while the tribesmen kept on behaving like madmen, intent on killing their brethren. The peace deal on Thursday would surely help assuage the worsening scenario. However the initiative would have to be closely monitored, as in the past many peace accords simply failed to bear any fruit.