In the tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the conflict between two groups escalated to machine guns and mortars in which the death toll has risen to 35 so far.
Local police officer Murtaza Hussain told the French news agency AFP that “armed clashes between Madagi and Malikhel tribes started on Wednesday.”
According to Murtaza Hussain: ‘Initially it was a land dispute but now it has turned into communal violence which has claimed 35 lives so far.’
He said that ‘the government and local leaders are trying to stop the fighting through polls but have not been completely successful yet.’
A senior government official from Karam district confirmed 35 deaths to AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that 151 more people were injured in the conflict.
Earlier the province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tribesmen of Karam district Of The police And the Jirga member said on Sunday that after five days of clashes in the area, the warring tribes have agreed to a ceasefire.
Javedullah Mehsud, deputy commissioner of Karam district, told Independent Urdu reporter Izharullah Khan that ‘ceasefire has been agreed upon through the efforts of the Jirga.’
“More than 70 percent of the bunkers in the conflict areas have been evacuated and the police, FC and army have taken control of it,” he said.
The Upper Karam area has been the focus of this land dispute between Bushehra and Malikhel and according to the police, at least 28 people have been killed and several others injured in the last four days.
Regarding this, Malik Fakhr Zaman, a former member of the National Assembly and a member of the Jirga, told Independent Urdu on the phone that ‘Cease-fire has been agreed upon by the efforts of the Jirga and the fronts in Bushehra area have been handed over to the security forces, while the opposing side will also hand over to the front forces.’
Fakhar Zaman said that ‘there are still minor problems in some places but overall ceasefire has been announced and the fronts are being cleared of people with the help of the police.’
Rehan Muhammad, a local journalist of Karam district, told Independent Urdu that ‘the recent clashes started between Bushehra and Malikhel villages and then spread to different areas.’
Rehan Muhammad said that ‘whenever there is a conflict like this, first Bushehra and Malikhel and later the conflict spreads to other areas and the conflict starts with the land dispute.’
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district is located on the border with Afghanistan, where, according to local officials and politicians, a land dispute between two families led to armed clashes between the tribes.
Earlier, a major conflict in Kurram district that started in 2007 lasted for several years and was ended in 2011 with the help of a jirga of tribal elders.
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The clashes, the latest in recent days over a land dispute, began five days ago and quickly spread to several villages and nearby settlements.
Most villages in the region faced shortages of food and life-saving medicines as people faced problems due to clashes and road closures by authorities to contain the unrest.
During these clashes, the warring parties attacked each other with small and heavy weapons.
Due to the recent clashes, the internet was also shut down across the district due to which people were facing difficulties in accessing the internet.
Last year too, fierce clashes took place in the same areas in which at least 10 people lost their lives, after which a ceasefire was agreed upon through the efforts of the Jirga.
While last year, the Home Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had issued a report on land disputes in Karam, according to which there are land disputes at eight places in Karam district and these disputes are not new but have existed since the partition of India.
A government commission has also been formed to resolve these disputes, but according to the residents of the area, the commission is not serious in resolving disputes and such clashes are seen every day.
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2024-07-29 09:10:16