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Pakistan: Many killed as Shiite and Sunni tribes clash

September 25, 2024

Authorities say they are working with tribal elders to broker peace after days of deadly violence in the restive Kurram district on the border with Afghanistan.

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Women walking in Kurram district
Tensions between rival tribes have existed for decades in the mountainous Kurram district Image: Fatima Nazish/DW

A deadly feud between Shiites and Sunni Muslim tribes in northwestern Pakistan has killed more than 20 people, officials said Wednesday.

The ongoing sectarian clashes, which stem from a land dispute, erupted five days ago in the Kurram district on the border with Afghanistan.

Authorities said at least 75 people had been injured.

"Dozens of homes have been damaged ... all efforts by the government and other tribes to end the fighting have failed," a senior administrative official stationed in Kurram, told the AFP news agency.

Pakistan-Afghanistan border tensions uproot family

Authorities ask tribal elders for help

A spokesman for the provincial government, Barrister Saif Ali, said authorities were working with tribal elders in an attempt to defuse tensions. He said both sides were working toward a truce. 

Kurram has been gripped by sectarian clashes between Shiite and Sunni tribes in recent years. Dozens of people were killed over the same land dispute as recently as July.

In Pakistan, a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, Shiite Muslims make up about 15% of the population and say they often face discrimination and violence.

dj/nm (AFP, AP)