At least 32 people were killed in fresh violence between Sunnis and Shiites in northwestern Pakistan, a predominantly Sunni country, a member of the local administration told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday, November 23, reporting the death of “14 Sunnis and 18 Shiites.”
Javed Ullah Mehsud, another member of the local administration, told AFP that on Friday, “hundreds of shops and houses [avaie]were set on fire » in the Bagan market area, in the Kurram district, located in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan. a market “led mainly by Sunnis”according to a senior AFP police official, who believes this violence is the result of “angry shites” who for three hours and “equipped with light and automatic weapons and mortar grenades, fired. The Sunnis responded”continue.
“Efforts are being made to achieve peace. Security forces and jirgas are deployed. [conseils tribaux] “they meet again”added Javed Ullah Mehsud. But, another official points out, “We don’t have enough police and administrative staff” in this ancient tribal area where the federal government and even the Peshawar-based provincial government are struggling to gain a foothold. “We informed the provincial government that the situation was critical and that additional troops needed to be deployed urgently. »
These events took place after a day of intense funeral processions in Kurram and parades by Shiites – a minority in Pakistan – denouncing a “killing” committed the day before. On Thursday, a dozen attackers shot two convoys carrying Shiite families under police escort in this mountainous region. At least 43 people died and “11 injured” they are still in a state ” critical “according to the authorities.
In this Kurram district, from July to October, 79 people were killed in violence between Shia and Sunni tribes, often arising from land disputes, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the main rights NGO. humans in the country. The CPDH considers that “The frequency of such events confirms that the federal and provincial governments have failed to protect the safety of ordinary citizens.” and especially to “control the circulation of weapons in the region”.
According to corroborating AFP sources, 150 people have died since the summer in Kurram and hostilities have increasingly resumed despite truces declared by the jirgas. Common conflicts between tribes of different tendencies concern in particular tribal, religious and territorial issues, where the Shia minority claims to have long been victims of discrimination and attacks, especially in the district.
