Over 300 families have been compelled to abandon their residences due to violent confrontations between Sunni and Shia Muslims in northern Pakistan. The sectarian violence in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has resulted in over 150 fatalities in recent months, with 32 individuals losing their lives in renewed clashes on Saturday.
A senior official reported that “approximately 300 families have moved to Hangu and Peshawar since this morning in search of refuge,” adding that additional families are preparing to evacuate from the Kurram district of the province, as reported by AFP. This region shares a border with Afghanistan, which is currently facing significant challenges under Taliban rule. Another senior administrative official informed news outlets that “conflict between Shia and Sunni communities persists in various locations.” Among the 32 casualties from the clashes on Saturday, 14 were Sunnis and 18 were Shias.
The origins of the conflict can be traced back to an incident two days prior, when gunmen targeted two separate convoys of Shia Muslims. These individuals were traveling with police protection in Kurram, resulting in the deaths of 43 people and leaving 11 others in critical condition.
In the aftermath of this incident, Shia Muslims retaliated by attacking several Sunni establishments on Friday evening in Kurram, a region that was previously semi-autonomous. A senior official indicated that these assaults led to the destruction of approximately 317 shops and over 200 homes in Kurram. The official noted that around 7 pm, “a group of furious Shia individuals launched an attack on the Sunni-majority Bagan bazaar.”
Following the gunfire, the assailants ignited the entire market and invaded adjacent residences, dousing them in petrol and setting them ablaze, he stated. Concurrently, Javedullah Mehsud, a senior official in Kurram, informed AFP that there were ongoing “efforts to restore peace … [through] the deployment of security forces” alongside the assistance of “local elders.” Nevertheless, another police official remarked that there was an insufficient number of police and administrative personnel to manage the situation effectively.
“We have alerted the provincial government regarding the critical nature of the situation and the urgent need for additional troop deployment,” the official disclosed, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Last month, the Kurram district experienced a series of violent confrontations that resulted in the deaths of at least 16 individuals, including two children.
In September and July, numerous fatalities occurred during clashes that only ceased following a ceasefire called by a jirga, or tribal council. The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reported that 79 individuals lost their lives in sectarian violence between July and October. Amidst the turmoil, the Human Rights Commission released a statement addressing the issue, urging authorities to give “urgent attention” to the “alarming frequency of clashes,” asserting that the situation has escalated to “the proportions of a humanitarian crisis.” The HRCP further noted that the evident access of local rival groups to heavy weaponry suggests that the state has failed to regulate the influx of arms into the region.
