Pakistan: 11 dead and many injured in tribal clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

At least 11 people were killed and eight others were injured in a clash between two tribes in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported.

Tensions have risen in the province’s Kurram district after two people were seriously injured in a shootout between rival tribes in the northwestern part of the country. However, the reason for the clashes is not known.

As the violence spread, vehicles were targeted in different areas of the district, which caused many more casualties, as noted by senior official Javedullah Khan.

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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is known to be home to over 40 million people who come from various tribal groups and identities.

Khan said the injured were taken to a hospital and efforts were being made to secure travel routes and restore normalcy. The injured were taken to a hospital.

Pir Haider Ali Shah, a former parliamentarian and member of a tribal council, said the elders arrived in Kurram to broker a peace deal between the tribes.

“The recent shooting incidents are regrettable and have hampered efforts for lasting peace,” he said.

Notably, meetings of tribal groups also known as ‘Jirgas’ are routinely held to ensure peace and stability in the region, as reported by Al Jazeera.

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In another incident last month, at least 25 people were killed in days of clashes between armed Shiite and Sunni Muslims over a land dispute.

Although both communities live together largely peacefully in the country, there have been tensions between them for decades in some areas, especially in Kurram, where Shia Muslims dominate in parts of the district, according to Al Jazeera.

Clashes in the area have increased, as last month alone more than 20 people were killed between armed Shiite and Sunni Muslims over a land dispute.

Although both live together peacefully in the country, there have been tensions between them for decades in some areas, especially in Kurram, where Shia Muslims dominate parts of the district, Al Jazeera noted.

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Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for attacks on a coal mine in Balochistan that resulted in the deaths of more than 20 people, including Pakistani and Afghan nationals. The attack involved the use of heavy weapons, rocket launchers and grenades.

Such attacks have become common in Balochistan, the southern part of the country known for housing essential natural resources, but whose benefits do not translate into improved quality of life for citizens.

Groups operating from Balochistan accuse the central government in Islamabad of exploiting the province’s rich oil and mineral resources to the detriment of the local population in the country’s largest and least populated province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.

These groups have also expressed their anger against foreign nationals who arrive to extract resources but make profits without benefiting locals. Attacks on international trains have thus become a fundamental way for citizens to register protests.

The BLA gave a higher casualty figure of 30 dead and 18 injured in the incident. He also claimed that Pakistani security personnel were disguised as workers, without providing evidence. He threatened more attacks unless the military withdrew from the province.

Balochistan has been a hotbed of armed movements, with the BLA being the most prominent among them.

Last week, the BLA – designated a “terrorist group” by Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States – claimed responsibility for an attack on Chinese citizens near Pakistan’s largest airport, Al Jazeera reported.

The Chinese embassy in Pakistan said at least two of its citizens were killed and a third injured after their convoy was targeted by an improvised explosive device believed to have been detonated by a suicide bomber.

At least 10 people were injured in total, with four cars destroyed in the explosion and a further 10 vehicles damaged in the resulting fire, local media reported.