Sectarian violence in Pakistan has resulted in 64 deaths within a week as fresh clashes, involving Pushtun Sunni and Shia tribes of the country’s militancy-prone Kurrum district, broke out last week.
The recent Shia Sunni fighting erupted just a month after ceasefire was signed between the two groups.
Faisal Karim, Governor of Kundi in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, told press that dozens of people on either side were wounded in the fighting which continued till Friday.
The fresh wave of violence started after Shias in upper Kurram began setting up bunkers on land belonging to the Shia Ahmadzai community last week.
Reports, quoting police, said that the dispute quickly engulfed other areas and became a full-blown sectarian conflict.
Notably, the warring sides had singed a truce last month after clashes claimed more than 50 lives and injured over 200 people.
The renewed fighting have resulted in chaos as the roads have been closed in the affected areas. This triggered a shortage of food, medicine and fuel. Educational institutions have also remained shut for over a week in the violence-marred region.
The Sunnis constitute the majority of Muslims in Pakistan whereas the Shias are a small but influential minority. Tussle between these two religious communities has deep roots in the history of Islam and of South Asia.
Shia has been the most affected by sectarian violence in the country.
According to records, approximately 4,800 Shias were killed in sectarian violence between 2001 and 2018. Another 2,600 have been killed since 2021, the report say.