Two more people were killed on Tuesday in a fight between two tribes over a piece of land in the Kurram tribal district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, taking the total death toll to 11. So far, 67 people have been injured during the clashes.
According to ‘Dawn’, the clashes that started five days ago in the Bushehra Dandar area have spread to other areas, including Kharkle, Balash Khel, Piwar, Gedu, Trimengal, Kermanpada Chamkani, Maqbul, and Kunj Alizai.
In areas affected by road closures, people are facing constant shortages of food items, medicine, and fuel. Educational institutions are closed, and normal life is also affected.Protests have also been held in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and other areas of the country against the tense situation in Kurram two days ago.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has expressed concern over the deadly clashes. “There are alarming reports of increasing militancy, fueling local conflicts”, the statement said on Twitter.
The statement added that the government should immediately commit to resolving all communal differences peacefully and restoring law and order in the region. “We also remind the state that it committed to mainstreaming the newly merged districts in 2018 and securing the right to life and security of all citizens by providing access to health, education, and employment. But despite the allocation of funds, this commitment was not fulfilled”.
Apart from clashes between local tribes, there have been incidents of communal violence in Kurram district in the past, and some elements are still calling it a series of communal violence. However, Federal Minister Sajid Hussain Turi rejects these claims and says that these are only tribal conflicts that started over Shamilat, and there are no Shia or Sunni differences in them.
Apart from clashes between local tribes, there have been incidents of communal violence in Kurram district in the past, and some elements are still calling it a series of communal violence. However, Federal Minister Sajid Hussain Turi rejects these claims and says that these are only tribal conflicts that started over Shamilat, and there are no Shia or Sunni differences in them.
Local journalists said that four days ago in the Bushehra area of Upper Kurram, clashes between two tribes belonging to the Bangash tribe had started, which had been resolved with the efforts of the Jirga and the administration.
Local journalist Riyaz Chamkani said that after that, clashes started in Lower Kurram, where different tribes kept firing at each other and fighting.
After that, clashes between different tribes started in Central Kurram today, and reports of casualties have been received. The local people said that in some places the conditions are better, and in other places they are worse.
The local people said that since the year 2007, and now again this year, such fierce clashes are taking place, and so far the government has not been able to control the situation. Locals say that these clashes have created fear in the area as heavy gunfire is heard throughout the night.
The situation in Kurram district has been tense after the killing of eight people, including five teachers, in May this year. The incidents were reported that a teacher named Muhammad Sharif was killed by firing on a vehicle, after which messages were shared on social media that a Sunni teacher had been killed in a Shia-majority area, after which there were school staff, including teachers present in the staff room of the school, who were fired upon by unknown persons. After these incidents, the situation in the area became very tense, and schools, colleges, and business centres were closed.