The attack on two caravans, which the country’s government has already described as “terrorist”, is attributed to Sunnis, but has not yet been claimed. There are at least 10 injured in critical condition.
At least 42 people were killed and 20 injured in the latest deadly clash between Shiites and Sunnis in northwestern Pakistan, according to a new report released Friday by police.
A first assessment, carried out by Javed Ullah Mehsud, a local leader, reported at least 32 dead and 13 injured, after two convoys transporting Shiites were attacked in Kourram.
So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came a week after authorities reopened a major highway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after weeks of closure following deadly clashes.
Azmat Ali, a local police officer, said several vehicles carrying passengers were traveling in a convoy from the town of Parachinar to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when gunmen opened fire.
The official admitted that the number of fatalities could increase, since at least 10 passengers are in critical condition in a hospital.
Aftab Alam, provincial minister, confirmed that 42 people died and assured that the authorities are already investigating to determine who was responsible for the attack.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the shooting a “terrorist attack.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack and Sharif promised that those responsible for the murder of innocent civilians will not go unpunished.
Shia Muslims make up about 15% of the 240 million people of Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a history of sectarian animosity between the two communities.
Although they live peacefully in the country, tensions have existed for decades in some areas, especially in the Kurram areas, where Shiites dominate.
In July, about 50 people from both groups died.
Baqir Haideri, a local Shiite leader, accused local authorities of failing to provide adequate security to the convoy of more than 100 vehicles, even though militants recently threatened to attack Shiites in Kurram.
Traders in the city of Parachinar announced a strike for this Friday, in protest of the attack.
In addition to problems in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the northwest, Pakistan is also carrying out military operations in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where violence has been blamed on the Pakistani Taliban and Balochistan Liberation Army separatists.
Source: Observadora
