The once peaceful district of Kurram, nestled amidst majestic peaks, ancient maple forests, and fertile fields along the Afghan border, has been thrust into chaos. The deafening sounds of rocket launchers and mortar explosions have shattered the tranquillity, transforming the serene landscape into a battleground. Residents huddle in makeshift bunkers, exchanging desperate volleys as their villages are engulfed in violence.
For months, the Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities in this region have been intermittently clashing over land disputes, igniting the latest flare-up in a longstanding conflict that has persisted for decades. This discord mirrors the two wars in Afghanistan and the rise of various terrorist factions within the region. On October 12, at least 16 individuals lost their lives in a series of clashes, including an ambush on a convoy that was under the protection of paramilitary forces. Since then, warring tribes have erected blockades on roads, leading to severe shortages of essential supplies such as food and medicine, as reported by residents.
In September alone, violent confrontations between the two communities resulted in the deaths of 46 people, while a week-long battle in July claimed nearly 50 lives. As Hussain Ali, a 26-year-old university student from Parachinar, Kurram’s main city, lamented, “It feels like a war between two countries, not merely a dispute between tribes. Innocent people are suffering, and the government seems indifferent.”
This ongoing violence has starkly revealed the limited influence of Pakistan’s government in the frontier regions, which may appear serene but are rife with underlying tensions. The geographical proximity of Shiite villages to Sunni settlements exacerbates these tensions, creating a precarious situation.
Despite Pakistan being predominantly Sunni, the Shiite population in Kurram constitutes about 45 percent of the district’s 800,000 inhabitants, with a significant majority residing in Parachinar. This demographic composition further complicates the fragile dynamics of the area.