Sectarian violence in Pakistan’s Kurram district continues to escalate, leaving at least 130 dead and 200 wounded in the past ten days. At least 14 more people were killed and 27 injured in the past 24 hours alone, Al Jazeera reports.
The fighting, primarily between Shia and Sunni communities, has plunged the region into crisis, crippling essential services and exacerbating existing tensions across the country.
The latest surge in violence follows a November 21st attack on Shia pilgrims that killed 52, including women and children. No group has yet claimed responsibility for that attack, or the subsequent widespread clashes. A seven-day ceasefire brokered by government officials on November 24 quickly collapsed.
Kurram, unlike the rest of predominantly Sunni Pakistan, has a Shia Muslim majority. Tensions between Shia and Sunni tribes, initially sparked by a land dispute in July, have repeatedly erupted into deadly conflict. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan previously reported 79 deaths from sectarian violence in the region between July and October.
The ongoing fighting has effectively severed Kurram’s main highway connecting Parachinar to Peshawar, the provincial capital. This has led to severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, further compounding the suffering of the local population. Despite the ongoing violence, authorities have reportedly restored internet and mobile services in the area.
This week’s bloodshed represents a significant escalation of the conflict. The overall security situation in Pakistan is already precarious, with nationwide violence claiming at least 245 lives in November alone, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). PICSS data indicates that 127 of those killed were members of armed groups, 68 were security personnel, and 50 were civilians.
