Peace efforts underway as 18 killed, 30 injured in fresh clashes in Pakistan

By Nadir Guramani and Javid Hussain, Pakistan, Nov 23 (DAWN): Efforts were underway on Saturday to restore peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram District as 18 more people were killed and another 30 injured in fresh clashes.

The violence follows Thursday’s deadly attack, when a convoy of around 200 vehicles came under heavy gunfire in Kurram’s densely populated Bagan town, killing at least 43 people and injuring 16 others.

The convoy was carrying passengers between Peshawar and Parachi­nar city, which is in Kurram, a district near the Afghanistan border with a history of sectarian violence and land disputes.

Kurram District Health Officer Dr Qaisar Abbas confirmed the casualties to Dawn.com, adding that nine patients would be referred to Peshawar by air ambulance as they were in serious condition.

Meanwhile, Kurram Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javedullah Mehsud said efforts were being made to re-establish peace in the area, reiterating yesterday’s statement.

DC Mehsud and Sajid Hussain Turi, a former PPP MNA from Kurram, confirmed to Dawn.com that a high-level meeting was underway in the district for peace efforts.

Turi, one of the meeting’s participants, said KP Inspector General (IG) Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry and government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif were also attending the meeting.

He lamented that the security provided to the convoy that was attacked was less than the required amount.

DC Mehsud said officials of security forces and local administration were attending the meeting convened at the DC Conference Hall.

“With the help of local elders, forces and the administration, peace will be established as soon as possible,” the official said. According to a Dawn.com correspondent, the two tribes involved in the dispute are Alizai and Bagan.

According to witnesses, the vehicles were ambushed from four sides. Muhammad, a 14-year-old survivor, told Dawn that the assault lasted around 30 minutes.

Authorities said that the victims included seven women and three children, with 16 others injured — 11 of whom are in critical condition.

Sajid Kazmi, a leader of Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), demanded the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the attack. No group had immediately claimed responsibility for the incident.

Speculation also surrounds the involvement of the banned terrorist group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has recently been active in Lower Kurram, prompting fears among the residents. But government officials attributed the incident to the ongoing land dispute, ruling out sectarian motives.

Parachiner comes to halt; protests echo in various cities

Businesses, educational institutions and markets remained closed across Parachinar and surrounding areas on Friday.

An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that mobile signals across the Kurram district had been shut down, describing the situation as “extremely tense”.

The official also said a curfew had been “imposed on the main road connecting Upper and Lower Kurram”.

Thousands of people participated in a sit-in in Parachinar, where protesters criticised the government’s failure to protect civilians. Hundreds also demonstrated in Lahore and Karachi.

Funerals for the victims, including journalist Janan Hussain, a member of the Parachinar Press Club, were held in their respective villages before Friday prayers. Hussain had recently returned from Malaysia.

The attack was widely condemned, including by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, as well as political parties.

Previous clashes in July and September had claimed dozens of lives and were resolved only after tribal councils brokered ceasefires.