The official toll speaks of more than 40 deaths, but according to other information circulating on the Internet, the victims exceed one hundred. The attacked convoy was traveling on a recently reopened highway with an escort of agents. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has been unstable for some time and its residents accuse the government of failing to ensure the safety of residents.
Parachinar () – The official death toll after yesterday’s attack on a convoy of vehicles in the Kurram district, in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has increased to more than 40, but according to other information circulating on the networks There could be 110 dead, most of them Shiites, including 11 children. According to the politician Mushtaq Ahmad Khanthe youngest victim was only six months old. The local population today organized demonstrations against the local administration for not providing a sufficient level of security.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a group of about 200 vehicles traveling from Parachinar to Peshawar, according to police. The local deputy commissioner, Javedullah Mehsud, also stated that Shia worshipers had been the target of two separate attacks. The highway had reopened in recent days and traffic was limited to convoys escorted by police. Between 40 and 50 agents accompanied the passengers.
The attack took place in a region with a long history of sectarian tensions and territorial disputes, but it is still unclear who the perpetrators are. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Pakistani Taliban, also known as TTP, they distanced themselves and accused Pakistani security forces of organizing the attack to incite sectarian unrest between Sunnis and Shiites.
According to Iftikhar Firdous, journalist and local analyst, an Islamic State cell active in the region (known as ISKP, the acronym in English for the Islamic State’s Khorasan province) “has been trying to exert influence in the area for some time by targeting the Shiite population and fomenting sectarian violence ». Demonstrations broke out in Parachinar today: protesters looted and set fire to two checkpoints, chanting slogans against the provincial administration.
The local government has been accused of not taking the rise in terrorist attacks seriously, but of being solely focused on the release of Imran Khan, former prime minister and leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. For about two years now, PTI politicians have been accusing the central government in Islamabad of keeping Imran Khan imprisoned on trumped-up charges. Meanwhile, armed clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan (another province in which attacks have increased, in this case mainly by pro-independence militias) caused 55 deaths among security forces in the first three weeks of November alone.
Pakistani English Language Newspaper Sources Dawn They explained that the attack appears to be a response to another confrontation, occurred on October 12 and in which 15 people died. Deputy Commissioner Mehsud explained: “We will try to restore routine as soon as possible and then a big jirga will be called.” The jirga is a meeting where elders and tribal leaders make important decisions for the community.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province borders Afghanistan and has long been unstable. In the past, tribal conflicts over land ownership also fueled sectarian violence. The provincial government appointed a commission in September to resolve the issue, but has not yet made public the report prepared by the experts or made any decision on the matter.
According to Amelia Gill, a Christian human rights activist based in the United Kingdom, “the main cause of these incidents is hate speech, which can incite collective violence and religious extremism.” The activist also accused the State of being absent in some regions of the country: “What is the State doing, why is it not taking care of these monsters? In fact, the silence of the State is the main reason for all these unpleasant incidents. The citizens of KP and Balochistan are living hell because the State does not control the situation. My question is: is Pakistan a place where innocent citizens can live freely? “When will the State protect its citizens?” he added.
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