Good catch.
Amazing how much wrong info gets propogated out there.
IIRC, Parachinar is the gateway to the Khyber Pass and to Kabul, virtually autonomous from Pakistani authority.
Winston Churchill penned a story about the mad fakirs and clerics of this area, The Madmen of Mehelkand or something like that, speaking of the religious fanatics inciting rebellion against the British.
"IIRC, Parachinar is the gateway to the Khyber Pass and to Kabul, virtually autonomous from Pakistani
authority. "
That sounds more like Peshawar. Parachinar is west and south of there, in the "parrot's beak" region opposite Khost and the Paktia province.
You are correct about their autonomy. Both are gateways into Afghanistan, and both have been traditionally subject to little government oversight. There have been indications that recently the Parachinar area has been sanitized by Pak troops, without a fight.
You've sure got that right! But fact-checking is a good way to sharpen your skills. I'll bet I've annoyed more than one poster with a correction (or two)!
--Boot Hill