Seven-Day Ceasefire Following Bloody Clashes Between Shia and Sunni in Pakistan

Pakistani government officials announced a seven-day ceasefire on Sunday evening after several days of bloody clashes between Shia and Sunni communities in the northwest of the country, which left at least 82 dead and over 150 injured. Muhammad Ali Saif, the government spokesman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, stated that both sides agreed to the ceasefire during which they would exchange prisoners and also return the bodies of the deceased to each other. Mr. Saif also mentioned the possibility of extending the ceasefire with the agreement of the elders from both Shia and Sunni communities. Another local official told AFP that efforts are ongoing to locate and return 20 individuals who are missing. Pakistan is a predominantly Sunni country, but the Kurram region in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the border with Afghanistan, has a significant Shia population. There has been a history of conflict between Shia and Sunni groups in this area for decades. Police have been trying to control sectarian violence in Kurram, which was previously governed by a semi-autonomous tribal administration and merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa six years ago. The latest wave of violence between Shia and Sunni began last Thursday, November 23, in the Kurram area of Parachinar, when two Shia caravans, escorted by police, were ambushed by armed forces, resulting in 43 deaths on the same day. No group has claimed responsibility for initiating the attacks. Following the recent attack, religious violence has once again erupted in northwest Pakistan. Clashes and violence continued for two days afterward. According to AFP, heavy artillery was used, causing around 300 families to flee on Saturday. A local official reported that 16 of the dead over these three days were Sunni and 66 were Shia. A delegation from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government negotiated the ceasefire with local Shia on Saturday and then finalized it with the Sunnis on Sunday. However, the helicopter carrying the negotiators was also targeted during its arrival in the area, but no one was injured. After three bloody days, mobile network access in the Kurram region has been cut off, and vehicle movement on the main highway has been restricted. Aftab Alam Afridi, the Justice Minister in Peshawar, stated on Sunday that achieving a ceasefire provides an opportunity to address fundamental issues. Last month, at least 16 people, including three women and two children, died in a conflict between Shia and Sunni in the region. Prior to that, violence during the two summer months this year resulted in the deaths of dozens from both sides. The Pakistan Human Rights Commission estimated that at least 79 people had been killed in the last three months leading up to the recent outbreak of violence last Thursday. Part of the conflicts in the Kurram region, aside from religious disputes between Shia and Sunni, stems from longstanding tribal rivalries, and part, like the latest conflict, is over territorial disputes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Hundreds of people in Pakistan protested on Friday in major cities like Karachi and Lahore against the violence in this part of their country.