Renewed Sectarian Violence in Pakistan Claims 15 Lives

At least 15 people have died in renewed clashes between two tribes in Kurram district, northwestern Pakistan, as a longstanding land dispute escalates into sectarian violence, Arab News revealed yesterday.

The conflict involves a Sunni tribe and a Shia tribe, intensifying tensions in a region historically marked by such feuds. Local officials reported heavy weaponry, including mortar shells, being used in the fighting, which has also left around 20 others wounded since Saturday.

The Kurram district, near the Afghan border, has witnessed numerous violent confrontations over the years, claiming hundreds of lives. Previous clashes in July resulted in 35 fatalities and only ceased after a tribal council, or jirga, brokered a ceasefire. Efforts are now underway to negotiate a new truce. In Pakistan, where Sunni Muslims dominate, the Shiite community has long faced discrimination and violence, making tribal and family feuds particularly volatile in the mountainous northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.