The Kurram area in Pakistan’s northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), which is close to the Afghan border, occasionally experiences carnage and unrest. Numerous land disputes, which are fueled by tribal vengeance and escalate into sectarian tensions that affect the local population living in the upper, central, and lower tehsils of Kurram, are the main cause of these recurrent episodes of horrific carnages that continue to claim the lives of dozens of people throughout the district’s conflict-ridden areas.
The region, which has also been marred by militancy, was once a diverse community where people supported one another during both good and stormy times, according to the inhabitants. But with disastrous results, deeply ingrained divisions have eclipsed the unity of its people.The most recent wave of violence started in late July but grew more intense following the November 21 shooting attack on a convoy of 200 passenger cars using the Thall-Parachinar Road to traverse through the district’s rural territory. The incident, which led to a series of retaliatory attacks, claimed the lives of at least 52 people, bringing the total to 133. This number includes those who were hurt but eventually passed away from their wounds. Innocent people lost their lives during the six-day violent exchange. As revenge overtook sanity in one of Pakistan’s most picturesque valleys, situated across the tribal zone of the Durand Line, both the Sunni and Shia communities lamented the loss of their loved ones and had no one to turn to for justice.
