Pakistan: 42 killed in sectarian violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
Protesters in Pakistan's northwest chanted anti-government slogans as tensions rose on Friday following funeral services for 42 Shiite Muslims. They were attacked and killed by gunmen a day earlier in one of the region's deadliest such attacks in recent years. The victims were traveling in a convoy of many vehicles from the northern city of Parachinar to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, when the attack occurred on Thursday.
Attack on passenger convoy sparks tribal conflict
Shiite Muslims account for around 15% of the 240 million people in Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a history of sectarian tensions between the sects. Although the two tribes coexist peacefully in most locations, conflicts have lingered for decades in some areas, particularly in Kurram. Dozens of individuals have been killed on both sides since July, when a land dispute in Kurram erupted into widespread sectarian violence.
Violence escalates, residents flee amid gunfire
The intensifying violence has caused extensive property damage, with homes and shops taking the worst hit in the crossfire. Many locals have been compelled to abandon their villages in search of safer havens. Amid the worsening situation, all schools in the district were shut down on Saturday. Kurram has a lengthy history of sectarian conflict between Shia and Sunni communities. Between 2007 and 2011, over 2,000 people were killed in the deadliest period of violence.
