In northwestern Pakistan, three days of fighting between Sunni and Shia Muslims left 82 people dead and 156 wounded. This happened in Kurram, near Afghanistan, where both groups live.
The trouble started when gunmen attacked Shia convoys on Thursday, killing more than 40 people, which then led to more fighting. This area has long had problems with land ownership between the two groups, causing ongoing tension.
The violence took place from November 21 to 23. After this, local leaders tried to stop the fighting on Sunday. Among those killed, 66 were Shia, and 16 were Sunni. Some women and children died too, making many people leave their homes.
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Before this, there were deadly fights in July and September, but those stopped after local leaders made peace. Over the last few months, 79 people died from such conflicts.
People protested in big cities like Lahore and Karachi, and in Kurram, lots of people went to funerals and did sit-ins to show they wanted peace.
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The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called on authorities to address the “alarming frequency” of sectarian clashes, warning that the situation has reached the level of a humanitarian crisis.
The HRCP also highlighted that local rival groups have access to heavy weaponry, indicating the state’s failure to control the flow of arms into the region.
