Over 30 killed in Shia-Sunni violence in northwest Pakistan

At least 32 people were killed and 47 wounded in violent sectarian clashes in northwest Pakistan on Nov 22, officials said.

The incident comes two days after an attack on Shiite passenger convoys killed 43 civilians. Sporadic fighting between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan has killed around 150 over the past months.

“Fighting between Shiite and Sunni communities continues at multiple locations. According to the latest reports, 32 people have been killed which include 14 Sunnis and 18 Shiites,” a senior administrative official was quoted as saying on Nov 23.

On Nov 21, gunmen opened fire on two separate convoys of Shiite Muslims traveling with police escorts in Kurram, killing 43 while 11 wounded are still in “critical condition”.

In retaliation Shiite Muslims on Nov 22 evening attacked several Sunni locations in the Kurram district, once a semi-autonomous region, where sectarian violence has resulted in the deaths of hundreds over the years.

“Around 7 pm, a group of enraged Shiite individuals attacked the Sunni-dominated Bagan Bazaar,” a senior police officer stationed in Kurram was quoted as saying by Agence France Press (AFP) news agency.

“After firing, they set the entire market ablaze and entered nearby homes, pouring petrol and setting them on fire. Initial reports suggest over 300 shops and more than 100 houses have been burnt” he said.

He said local Sunnis “also fired back at the attackers.”

Javedullah Mehsud, a senior official in Kurram was quoted as saying efforts were on to restore peace through the deployment of security forces and with the help of “local elders”.

Shiite Muslims make up about 15 % of the 240 million people in Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a history of sectarian animosity between the communities.

Although the two groups generally live together peacefully, tensions remain, especially in the Kurram district. The latest clashes and attacks come just days after at least 20 soldiers were killed in separate incidents in the province.

At least 16 people, including three women and two children, were killed in a sectarian clash in the district last month,.

Pertinently, clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a jirga, or tribal council, called a ceasefire.