Kurram tribal clashes rage as death toll surges past 100

• Another victim of Kurram attack succumbs to injuries.
• KP governor to summon APC in first week of December.
• JI leader urges SC to constitute commission.
  

The recent clashes between the two warring sides in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district continued for the seventh consecutive day as the death toll in the violence-hit territory passed 100, with three people losing their lives overnight.

The police said one of the injured from a firing incident on vehicles carrying passengers from Peshawar to Parachinar in a convoy succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, two others lost their lives and six others sustained injuries in the latest firing incidents.

Over the past seven days, a total of 102 people have been killed, and 138 injured in various shooting incidents in the district.

Reflecting on recent incidents in Kurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the violence unequivocally and said over 100 people were martyred during the clashes.

He noted that he would take the representatives of political parties to Kurram in the next two days and also send an invitation to Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

Kundi also announced to summon all-parties conference (APC) in the first week of December, stressing the need for collective efforts to restore peace.

Meanwhile, Jamat-e-Islami leader Asadullah Bhutto expressed concern over the "alarming situation in Kurram", urging the Supreme Court to constitute a commission.

The recent clashes escalated after a government-brokered seven-day truce was broken.

A high-powered government delegation, headed by Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, after holding talks with the elders from warring sides, had announced a week-long ceasefire but it could not be implemented. Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, IG police Akhtar Hayat Gandapur and Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi were also members of the delegation.

Kurram deputy commissioner Javedullah Mehsud told AFP on Monday that "reports of tribal clashes and gunfire continue to emerge from several areas".

A security official stationed in Kurram who asked not to be named confirmed "clashes are ongoing" in at least three areas.

"There are significant disagreements over the exchange of prisoners and bodies," he said. "According to my information, both communities are currently holding over 18 individuals hostage, including eight women."

All educational institutions, shops and markets remained closed for seventh day. Besides the Peshawar-Parachinar Road, major link roads in the tribal district also remained shut to traffic.

It is pertinent to mention that tribal and family feuds are common in the area.

Last month, at least 16 people, including three women and two children, were killed in a clash in Kurram.

Previous clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a jirga, or tribal council, called a ceasefire. HRCP said 79 people died between July and October in clashes.

Several hundred people demonstrated against the violence on Friday in Lahore and Karachi.

In Parachinar, the main town of Kurram district, thousands participated in a sit-in, while hundreds attended the funerals of the victims of Thursday’s attack.