Peshawar: At least 25 people have died in days of clashes between Shia and Sunni communities over a land dispute in northwestern Pakistan, officials said. Clashes that began last weekend in Kurram district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan continued on Wednesday, officials said. They said several people from both sides were injured in the clashes that began on Saturday.
There was a controversy about this
Kurram has been the center of communal violence in recent years. Officials said they are trying to prevent land disputes from turning into communal violence in the country's troubled northwestern region. Violent groups from both sides are also active in this area. Provincial government spokesman Barrister Saif Ali said that officials are trying to reduce tensions with the help of tribal elders. He said that after peace talks in Kurram, both sides have agreed not to resort to any kind of violence.
Violence has already happened
Shia Muslims make up about 15 percent of the 24 crore population of Sunni-dominated Pakistan. There has been tension between the two communities for a long time. Although people of both communities live peacefully in the country to a large extent, tension has been seen between them for decades in some areas, especially in some parts of Kurram district where the Shia community is dominant. In July this year too, several people from both sides were killed in a land dispute.
Pakistan Police
An agreement was reached between the two parties
In July, tribes involved in violent clashes in Kurram district signed a peace agreement to calm the violence. Under the agreement, both sides agreed to cooperate with the government in maintaining public order. According to the agreement, the party violating the peace agreement will have to pay a fine of up to Rs 12 crore.
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