Parachinar (Pashto: پاړه چنار; Urdu: پاڑہ چنار) is a city and the capital of the Kurram District in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Parachinar, situated on the west of Peshawar, juts into the Paktia, Logar and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan. With a distance of 110 kilometres (68 mi) from the capital of Afghanistan Kabul, Parachinar is the closest city in Pakistan to Kabul.

The British soldier and historian C. M. Enriquez described the early history of Parachinar in his book The Pathan Borderland. He writes that Pare was a reputable Malak (leader) of the Pare Khel tribe, a Shia sub-tribe of the Turis, a tribe of the Pashtun people, who planted Poplar.

Before much settlement, the area was mostly arid. In terms of distribution, the ancient Poplar tree and the surrounding land belonged to the Parakhel tribe. This ownership is still authentic in official records or deeds of property. Parakhel tribesmen used to cultivate wheat in this desert area. During the wheat harvest, tents were pitched here, and in the shade of this poplar tree, jirgas and consultations were held.

In 1893, during the rule of Abdur Rahman Khan (Barakzai dynasty) of Afghanistan, a Royal Commission for demarcating a boundary between Afghanistan and the territory of British governed India negotiated terms, agreeing to the Durand line.

From the British side, the camp was attended by Sir Mortimer Durand and Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum, assistant political agent, Khyber Agency. The Afghanistan interest was represented by Sahibzada Abdul Latif and the Governor of Khost Sardar Shireendil Khan, represented King Amir Abdur Rahman Khan.

Intermittently, conflicts arise stemming from personal issues(mostly religious ones) within this region. In instances where one sect initiates an attack on another, it often leads to retaliatory actions by the aggrieved party.

Violent clashes in the region occurred in the following week until a ceasefire was reached on 12 April 2007.