At least 36 people have been killed in a land dispute between Shia and Sunni Muslims in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district. While more than 80 people have been injured. According to news agency AP, the clash between the two communities has been going on for 5 days. An officer stationed in Kurram said many houses have been burnt in the fighting.
Government efforts to end the violence have so far proved unsuccessful. According to reports, Shia-Sunni disputes have occurred several times in Kurram over the past few years. The Sunni community receives support from the Afghan tribes across the border. Also in July, a land dispute erupted between the two communities in which more than 50 people were killed.
Security forces have been deployed in the area after the incident. (File Photo)
A fight that started between two families spread across the district The origin of this dispute is 30 acres of land. In Bushehra village of Kurram district, two tribes are in dispute over its ownership rights. In August, the authorities, along with tribal community elders, brokered an accord between the two communities, after which the dispute subsided for a while.
According to a report by the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, the dispute began in 2007 between the Sunni Midgi and Shia Malikhel communities. Even then there were incidents of violence. There was also a dispute in July last year, in which several people were killed.
People's property has also been damaged in this incident. (File Photo)
The controversy that ended last year has resumed In July 2023, after the fighting between the two sides stopped, an agreement was reached between them. It was decided that the government will decide who owns the land. Both the parties have to follow the rules of the land commission which resolves the land dispute, after which the commission gives its decision and gives the land to the Shia community.
But a year later, the controversy started again. A land dispute was being discussed in July 2024, when a man opened fire. After this a bloody conflict started between the two communities.
There are many controversies before the creation of Pakistan, which have not been resolved till date As reported by Sama Channel, there are currently eight major conflicts going on in Kurram. Most of these predate the creation of Pakistan. All these matters are related to land, the dispute is still ongoing due to lack of land reform. Whenever a dispute breaks out between them, it turns from a clan war into a communal conflict.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
