Elders in Pakistan broker a peace deal between Sunni and Shiite tribes after deadly clashes
This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Tribal elders backed by local authorities in restive northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday brokered a peace deal between minority Shiites and majority Sunni tribes, weeks after deadly clashes that killed at least 130 people, officials said.
The violence had flared on Nov. 21, when gunmen ambushed a convoy of vehicles and killed 52 people, mostly Shiite Muslims. The argument was said to be over a land disute, at least initially.
No group claimed responsibility for the assault, which triggered retaliatory attacks by rival groups in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan.
The violence left at least 130 people dead over the past two months. Though the two sides later agreed to a ceasefire, tension have persisted and all roads leading to Kurram have remained closed. The closures disrupted the local population’s access to medicine, food, fuel, education and work.
Mohammed Ali Saif, a provincial government spokesman, told The Associated Press that a push to negotiate a peace deal in Kurram succeeded on Wednesday. He said the deal, brokered by the tribal elders and facilitated by local authorities, would allow the roads to Kurram to reopen soon.
According to local elders, shortages of medicines at local hospitals in Kurram caused the deaths of at least 100 patients, mostly children, since November. The AP was not able to independently confirm the claim. Authorities in recent weeks have dispatched life-saving medicines to Kurram by helicopters.
Saif said that under the deal, the two sides agreed to dismantle their bunkers in the district and hand over their weapons to the government. Anyone in violation of the deal would be detained with the help of the elders, who also signed the agreement.
Tribal elder Sawab Khan confirmed the deal and its details to the AP.
Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. The area has a history of sectarian conflict, with militant Sunni groups previously targeting minority Shiites.
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Associated Press writer Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.