37 Killed, Several Injured in Sectarian Violence in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Read

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: At least 37 persons were killed and more than two dozen have been injured amid the continuing tribal conflict in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as of Saturday.

The hostilities, which involve the Alizai and Bagan tribes in the Kurram district adjacent to the Afghan border, began following an assault on a convoy near Parachinar on Thursday, resulting in 47 fatalities.

Muhammad Hayat Hassan, chairman of the Private Education Network, has confirmed that schools throughout the district are closed. Police have observed sporadic gunfire in several locations, including Balishkhel, Khar Kali, and Maqbal, and the Thall-Sada-Parachinar Highway is still obstructed. There have also been reports of six women being abducted; however, limited connectivity has made it difficult to confirm these accounts.

Efforts to restore peace in the unstable area continue, while communications from the elders of the involved tribal groups indicate a potential escalation in attacks.

A high-level government delegation, including the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Law Minister, Chief Secretary, and Inspector General of Police, has set off for the Kurram tribal district by helicopter, officials reported.

The delegation’s mission is to stabilize the security situation in the district, which has been plagued by severe sectarian violence.

The severity of the clashes prompted the closure of the main Parachinar-Peshawar road and the Pak-Afghan Kharlachi border, hindering transport and movement.

This blockade has led to a scarcity of vital supplies, such as food, fuel, and medicine, exacerbating the plight of the inhabitants.

The conflict has spread to regions such as Balishkhel, Sadda, Khar Kallay, Peewar, and Maqbal within the district, adjacent to Afghanistan's Khost, Paktia, Logar, and Nangarhar provinces, known strongholds of ISIS and the Pakistan Taliban.

As a countermeasure, Shiite Muslims attacked several Sunni areas in the Kurram district on Friday night, a region with a history of semi-autonomy and where sectarian strife has claimed hundreds of lives over time.