The death toll of sectarian clashes in Kurram district of Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has exceeded 100, the hospital administration told media on Thursday.
The violence erupted last Thursday when a convoy of passenger coaches carrying Shiite Muslims was ambushed in Parachinar area, leading to a heavy casualty.
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 Mehsud told media that after the government delegation failed to ensure a ceasefire, tribal elders from neighboring 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.
