PESHAWAR: The provincial administration of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Friday instructed police to take necessary steps to end ongoing clashes in Kurram district over a property dispute, with nine people killed and dozens injured.
Located along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, the area has witnessed deadly conflicts among tribes and religious groups in the past as well as sectarian clashes and militant attacks. A major conflict that began in Kurram in 2007 continued for years before it was ended with the help of a jirga, a traditional assembly of tribal elders.
The current clash over a land dispute broke out on Wednesday and quickly spread to several villages and nearby settlements.
According to an official statement circulated by the KP government, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed the district administration and police to ensure a ceasefire.
“No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands or disturb the peace of the area,” Gandapur was quoted as saying. “The administration and police must ensure the rule of government and law in the area. The parties to the dispute are also urged to resolve the property issue through a jirga according to tribal traditions.”
Syed Mir Hassan Jan, the Medical Superintendent at the District Headquarters Hospital in Kurram, said nine bodies and 58 injured people linked to the clashes had been brought to the hospital in the last three days.
The District Police Officer in Kurram, Nisar Ahmad Khan, said sporadic attacks were still ongoing.
“The conflict intensifies at night,” he said. “Sporadic exchange of fire has been going on between the tribes during the past two days.”
Khan said a large number of police and army personnel had been deployed at various locations to prevent clashes.
“The jirga, district administration, army and police have intervened to control the situation,” he added.
The roads leading to Kurram have also been shut down since the clashes began.
“The entrances and exits were closed so that any third-party intervention could be avoided,” the DPO said.