Representational image. Photo: Reuters file
Gunmen in northern Pakistan killed at least 38 people in two separate attacks on Thursday, officials informed AFP, as part of a sectarian conflict that has claimed numerous lives in recent months. Sunni and Shiite Muslim tribes have been engaged in sporadic fighting for several months in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Sectarian clashes have resulted in hundreds of deaths over the years in the province's Kurram district, formerly a semi-autonomous area.
Thursday's attacks targeted two different convoys of Shiite Muslims traveling in Kurram, according to Javed ullah Mehsud, a senior administration official. "The death toll has now risen to 38, with 11 others injured in both attacks," he said, updating an earlier count. "Initial reports confirm that the victims include six women, several children, and police officers." Approximately 10 attackers were involved in both incidents, firing indiscriminately from both sides of the road, he added.
A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the latest toll. "Both convoys consisted of around 40 vehicles traveling under police escort," he told AFP. Mehsud said that "women and children sought refuge in local houses, and we are currently searching for (the attackers) in the area." "Initial reports suggest it was the same sectarian issue that has plagued the region for months," he said, adding that most of the victims were Shia.
Ajmeer Hussain, 28, was among those attacked and taken to a local hospital for treatment. "Gunfire suddenly erupted and I started reciting my prayers, thinking these were my final moments," Ajmeer Hussain, a 28-year-old victim being treated at a local hospital, told AFP. "I laid down at the feet of the two passengers sitting next to me. Both of them were struck by multiple bullets and died instantly," he added. "The shooting lasted for about five minutes."
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the latest attacks, stating that "the enemies of peace in the country have attacked a convoy of innocent citizens, an act that amounts to sheer brutality." Tribal and family feuds are common in Sunni-majority Pakistan, where the Shiite community has long suffered discrimination and violence. However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has seen a significant rise in violence in recent months.
The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) urged authorities this month to pay "urgent attention" to the "alarming frequency of clashes" in the region, warning that the situation has escalated to "the proportions of a humanitarian crisis." The group said more than 70 people were killed in intermittent clashes since July. "The fact that local rival groups clearly have access to heavy weaponry indicates that the state has been unable to control the flow of arms into the region," HRCP said in a statement. "The protracted trauma and violence... the residents have been subjected for over a year must not become the new normal," it added.
Thursday's attacks come just days after at least 20 soldiers were killed in separate incidents in the province. Last month, at least 16 people, including three women and two children, were killed in a sectarian clash in the district. Previous clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a jirga, or tribal council, called a ceasefire.
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