Gunmen ambushed a convoy of vehicles carrying Shiite Muslims in Pakistan‘s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday, killing at least 38 people and wounding 20 others.
The attack unfolded in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province plagued by persistent sectarian violence.
The convoy was traveling from Parachinar to Peshawar when armed men opened fire, said police official Azmat Ali.
Several vehicles were struck during the assault, leaving many survivors in critical condition. Nearby hospitals are treating the wounded, and authorities fear the death toll could rise.
A witness, 35-year-old Mir Hussain, said he saw four gunmen emerge from a vehicle and open fire on buses and cars.
“I think other people were also firing at the convoy of vehicles from nearby open farm fields,” he said. “The firing continued for about forty minutes.” He said he hid until the attackers fled.
“I heard cries of women, and people were shouting for the help,” he said.
Pakistan’s History of Sectarian Conflict
Kurram district, situated near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for sectarian violence between the Sunni Muslim majority and Shiite Muslim minority.
Shiites make up about 15 percent of Pakistan’s population of 240 million. Sunnis are currently in the majority worldwide, including in Pakistan.
Although the communities coexist peacefully in many parts of Pakistan, disputes in Kurram have often turned deadly. Disputes over land, resources, and political representation often take on a sectarian tone.
In July, nearly 50 people were killed in clashes over a land dispute in the same district.
Violence Will Not Go Unpunished, Says PM Sharif
Pakistan faces unrest in its northwest and southwest regions, where militant and separatist groups—seizing on the opportunities they find in porous, underdeveloped areas—frequently launch attacks on security forces and civilians.
Much of the violence has been attributed to the Pakistani Taliban and the banned Baloch Liberation Army.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said at least 38 people were killed in the “terrorist attack.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the violence will not go unpunished.
Shiite leader Baqir Haideri warned that the death toll might rise and criticized the government’s inability to ensure safety for minority communities.
“It’s a shameful matter for the government,” said Ibne Ali Bangash, a relative of one of the victims.
Business Owners Strike in Protest
Around 10 individuals are suspected to have been involved in the killings.
Authorities have not identified the assailants, and no group has claimed responsibility for the ambush. Business owners have gone on strike in retaliation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief secretary, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, described the attack as a “major tragedy.”
It is believed the gunmen entered the area days after a key highway in the region was reopened following weeks of closure due to earlier clashes.
An investigation is ongoing, but no arrests have yet been reported.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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