Parachinar Violence / Security Lense| News and Media| 30-July-2024
Kurram district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suffered heavily from the clashes between two tribes over a disputed territory. The conflict which could have been easily averted, took on a communal tone and became stern. Reportedly, 50 people were brutally killed and over 200 were injured. Kurram District has a history of clashes between tribes over different disputes, ranging back to post partition era. To understand what went wrong in the recent clashes, it is important to explore the background of the conflict first.
Background of Sectarian Clashes
Kurram district is currently witnessing its eighth dispute. In 2007, a long and deadly disputed erupted, which continued until the Jirga restored peace in 2011. In 2023, an old age dispute also erupted between Gedu Mengal and Pewar tribes also erupted, taking on a communal tone and resulted in deaths of many shia Muslims in Parachinar. Parachinar is a Shia-dominated town of the district, which has been prone to communal violence.
The recent conflict erupted on July 24, when armed clashes between the Boshehra and Maleekhel tribesmen broke out. This clash, which erupted mainly due to a disputed land, has taken the shape of sectarian conflict between Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims of the district.
The violence has basically initiated by the Sunni Muslims of the Kurram district, with the support and manpower of the Sunni Muslims of Afghanistan including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Many reports also blame social media for giving conflict a sectarian shape and condemn the lack of national media reporting on these events. In a video circulating on the Social media platform X (formerly twitter), a slew of Sunni Muslims can be seen beheading a Shite in the region as the violence intensified. According to Dawn, the road connecting Parachinar to Peshawar has been blocked and hundreds of locals are stranded in the middle of nowhere, while rockets flew over their heads.
Markets were shutdown which resulted in shortage of food and medicines and schools were also shutdown in area until further notice. The mobile and internet services have also been suspended in the area leading to the misery of people.
Parachinar has long remained prone to these type of pogroms as in 2023, 13 were killed over communal basis in Tari Mangal. It is also a strategic site for Pakistan as it is close to Afghanistan border and can become a juicy target for Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operating from Afghanistan. People from across the country recorded a digital protest on social media over the deadly conflict and condemned the killing of people based on sectarian values. Notably. a protest in Srinagar also took place, in which the President of Shara-e-Shian (Valley- based business organization) has called out Islamabad to take strict actions against the culprits and ensure the safety of minority in the state.
A truce but at what cost?
According to the local Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Kurram, Javedullah Mehsud, the clashes have now come to a halt after a jirga of the elderly tribesman from Hangu and Orakzai district managed to secure a ceasefire. However, according to the few locals, the deadly clash could have been avoided if the government has taken prompt action on the dispute. Despite last year’s deadly firing in Parachinar school over communal grudges, the government has yet again failed to maintain a peace in a region which is strategically important and prone to sectarian conflicts. The non-implementation of policies has led to these types of recurring pogroms.
It is important for the government of Pakistan to resort to kinetic measures to make an example of the groups involved in this pogrom. Most importantly, the propaganda of TTP, aligning with the Sunni Muslims of the district is itself a grave threat to the national security of the state. Furthermore, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of the state should also play its part in highlighting the loss of innocent Shia Muslims.
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