Six killed, 25 injured as rival tribes clash over property dispute in northwest Pakistan

Pakistani soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint in Parachinar, capital of the Kurram tribal district, on January 22, 2017. (AFP/File)

• The clashes erupted over piece of land in Kurram tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan
• Both sides used heavy and small weapons to pound each other, blocking Parachinar-Peshawar highway for traffic

PESHAWAR: At least six persons have been killed and 25 others injured in three days of armed clashes over a property dispute between rival tribes in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an official said on Monday, as tribal elders and local officials strive for a ceasefire between the warring parties.
The clashes erupted over a piece of land claimed by both sides in the Kurram tribal district of KP, which is located along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan and has witnessed deadly tribal conflicts as well as sectarian and militant attacks in the past. 
A major conflict that began in 2007 continued for years before it was ended with the help of a jirga, a council of tribal elders, in 2011. However, another round of clashes broke out over a property dispute in July this year that left 38 dead and 158 injured in the same district.
“We have received six dead and 25 injured during the last three days, with some of the wounded having been discharged after treatment,” Dr. Mir Hassan Jan, medical superintendent (MS) at the district headquarters hospital in Parachinar, told Arab News.
The Kurram police said the warring tribes used both heavy and small weapons to pound rival positions in the last three days, and the clashes blocked several routes, including Parachinar-Peshawar highway, for traffic.
Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud informed the media that tribal elders, security officials and the district administration were trying to resolve the issue through negotiations.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed police and district administration to take action and help reach a ceasefire between the warring tribes through a jirga.
“For the last one year, issues about law and order have been taking place in Kurram, which should be resolved permanently,” Gandapur said in a statement. “For a durable solution to the problem, a committee comprising members of national and provincial assemblies, local elders and law enforcement agencies should be formed to take warring tribes on board to resolve the issue once and for all.”
Brig (retd) Said Nazeer Mohmand, a security expert, told Arab News that the involvement of “foreign elements” and rumors played a major role in igniting sectarian tensions in the religiously sensitive district.
In the first phase, he suggested, security and district administration officials, backed by local elders, should discourage the involvement of foreign elements belonging to different sectarian groups.
“If we see the issue from a historical perspective, rumors and unfounded news always flare up fights in Kurram district,” Mohmand said. “Secondly, controlling foreign elements is of paramount importance to discourage armed clashes in the district.”
Mohmand emphasized the formation of committees comprising members from all tribes as well as security and district administration officials to keep a check on the situation regularly.
“The committee then should hold regular meetings to nip the evil in the bud and deny any space to foreign elements and rumors from spreading,” he said. “This way, we will be able to somehow to control things in this sensitive part of the region.”