Death toll rises to 43 in Pakistan sectarian attacks

Tariq Butt, Correspondent / Agencies

The death toll from two attacks in northwest Pakistan rose to 43, authorities said on Friday as they imposed a curfew and suspended mobile service in the remote mountainous district.

Gunmen opened fire on passenger vehicles carrying Shiites in Pakistan's restive northwest on Thursday, killing at least 38 people, including six women and a child, and wounding 20 others in one of the region's deadliest such attacks in recent years, police said.

The attack happened in Kurram, a district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province where sectarian clashes between majority Sunnis and minority Shiites have killed dozens of people in recent months.

In addition to the deaths, police said the attack, which targeted the convoy travelling from Parachinar to Peshawar, injured several others, including three women.

No one has claimed responsibility. The latest violence came a week after authorities reopened a key highway in the region after keeping it closed for weeks following deadly clashes.

Local police official Azmat Ali said several vehicles carrying passengers were travelling in a convoy from the city of Parachinar to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when gunmen opened fire. He said at least 10 passengers were in a critical condition at a hospital.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said at least 38 people were killed in the "terrorist attack."

Thursday's attacks targeted two separate convoys of Shiites travelling in Kurram, Javed ullah Mehsud, a senior administration official, told AFP.

"The death toll has now risen to 38, with 11 others injured in both attacks," he said, revising an earlier toll. "Initial reports confirm that the victims include six women, several children, and police officers," he added.

"Approximately 10 attackers were involved in both incidents, firing indiscriminately from both sides of the road." A police officer confirmed the latest toll, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "Both convoys consisted of around 40 vehicles travelling under police escort," he told AFP.

Mehsud said that "women and children sought refuge in local houses, and we are currently searching for (the attackers) in the area."

"Initial reports suggest it was the same sectarian issue that has plagued the region for months," he said, adding that most of the victims were Shiite.

Ajmeer Hussain, 28, was among those attacked and taken to a local hospital for treatment. "Gunfire suddenly erupted and I started reciting my prayers, thinking these were my final moments," Ajmeer Hussain, a 28-year-old victim being treated at a local hospital, told AFP.

"I laid down at the feet of the two passengers sitting next to me. Both of them were struck by multiple bullets and died instantly," he added.
"The shooting lasted for about five minutes."

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the latest attacks, saying in a statement that "the enemies of peace in the country have attacked a convoy of innocent citizens, an act that amounts to sheer brutality."

President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident and expressed his condolences to the bereaved of the deceased. "Attacking innocent passengers is a cowardly and inhumane act," he was quoted as saying in a post on X by the media cell of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He added that those responsible for the incident should be punished. He urged that timely medical aid be provided to the injured.

Baqir Haideri, a local Shiite leader, denounced the assault, saying "the terrorists martyred our innocent people after identifying them.” He said the death toll from the attack is likely to rise.

A witness, 35-year-old Mir Hussain, said he saw four gunmen emerge from a vehicle and open fire on buses and cars. "I think other people were also firing at the convoy of vehicles from nearby open farm field," he said. "The firing continued for about 40 minutes." He said he hid until the attackers fled. "I heard cries of women, and people were shouting for the help," he said.