Islamabad: The death toll of sectarian clashes in Kurram district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has exceeded 100, the hospital administration told media on Thursday.
The violence erupted on Thursday when a convoy of passenger coaches carrying Shiite Muslims was ambushed in the Parachinar area, leading to a heavy casualty, Xinhua news agency reported.
The attack sparked a wave of sectarian violence between Shiite and Sunni communities, with multiple retaliatory assaults over the following days, raising the death toll to 88 as of Monday.
A delegation of the provincial government visited the district after the coaches were attacked, and a ceasefire had been agreed between both sects. However, sporadic clashes continued during the ceasefire, mounting the death toll to over 100.
The district’s deputy commissioner Javedullah Meh¬sud told media that after the government delegation failed to ensure a ceasefire, tribal elders from neighbouring districts will visit Kurram on Thursday to hold a ‘Jirga,’ or tribal court.
The elders will try to convince both sides to initiate fresh mediation to end hostilities, the deputy commissioner said.
(IANS)
