Warring tribes in northwest Pakistan agree to ceasefire after bloodshed

Peshawar, Nov 24 (PTI) A seven-day cease-fire was on Sunday brokered between the two warring tribes in the Kurram tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after meetings between a provincial government delegation and elders from both Shia and Sunni communities.
     Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, in a statement, said that as part of the agreement, elders from both tribes agreed to return prisoners and the bodies of those killed on both sides.
     This comes after 42 Shiites were killed last Thursday after an attack on their convoy in Kurram district triggered retaliatory attacks and rampages that left dozens more dead from both communities.
     The provincial government constituted a high-powered commission to settle disputes between the tribes.
     "A ceasefire was agreed for seven days between the tribes," Saif said.
     “The parties also agreed to exchange prisoners and return the bodies of the deceased,” he said. The prisoners include women.
     A government delegation met the members of the Shia tribe on Saturday before meeting the Sunni tribe leaders on Sunday and returned to Peshawar following the ceasefire agreement, Saif said.
     Shiite Muslims make up about 15 per cent of the 240 million people in Sunni-majority Pakistan. Although the two groups generally live together peacefully, tensions remain, especially in Kurram.
     Although the area has a history of sectarian conflict, with militant groups previously targeting the Shiite minority, the current violence is connected to a land dispute.
     Nobody has claimed responsibility for Thursday's convoy attack.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)