PESHAWAR (Agencies): Following the government’s efforts to ease tensions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram District, a seven-day ceasefire was agreed between two warring tribes in the region on Sunday. The ceasefire comes after the KP government decided to constitute a high-powered commission to settle land disputes between the tribes in the Kurram district as the death toll from recent violence reached 64.
At least 21 more people were killed in fresh clashes yesterday. The violence followed Thursday’s deadly attack, when a convoy of around 200 vehicles came under heavy gunfire in Kurram’s densely populated Bagan town, killing at least 43 people. Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, the KP chief minister’s adviser on information, said in a statement today that a ceasefire was agreed upon for seven days between the tribes, both of which also decided to return each other’s bodies and prisoners.
A government delegation met the members of the Shia tribe yesterday before meeting the Sunni tribe leaders today, after which it returned to Peshawar, Barrister Saif said. Separately, while speaking to Reuters, Barrister Saif said that there were “positive developments in engagements with stakeholders.” Sixteen others were injured in Thursday’s van attacks, 11 of whom were in critical condition. A heavy exchange of fire between rival groups on late Friday left over 30 people wounded. Sporadic gunfire continued between the two sides at different places in Lower Kurram till Saturday evening.