At least 38 killed in brutal gun attack in northwest Pakistan

At least 38 people, including women and children, were killed in two separate apparently sectarian attacks in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said Thursday.

Deputy Commissioner Javed Ullah Mehsud confirmed that the death toll had risen to 38.

Speaking to Nukta, Mehsud noted that while past tensions in the area involved Shia-Sunni conflicts, the targeting of civilians on the road suggests a potential act of terrorism.

"We are currently engaged in the operation," he said. "Once the operation concludes, we will examine all aspects and prepare a detailed report to determine the final facts."

Gunmen opened fire on multiple passenger vehicles travelling from Parachinar to Peshawar. Police said the shootings occurred in the Ochat area and lasted for nearly 30 minutes.

Hospital officials reported that 13 victims have been identified so far, while efforts to identify 20 others—14 men and six women—are ongoing.

The attacks come just weeks after the main route in the area reopened following a 22-day closure due to previous violence.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack.

'Not the first such attack'

Local journalist Adnan Haider told Nukta that the attack was "clearly sectarian", citing a series of similar incidents in the past. “This isn’t the first such attack,” Haider noted, referencing an October 12 incident where five people were killed.

The Parachinar-Thall road remained closed for 22 days after that attack, leading to a peace march before convoys resumed.

“Another incident like this shows the government’s failure to act despite repeated violence—it’s truly shameful,” he added.

History of sectarian violence

This latest attack has added to the toll of a longstanding conflict that has claimed dozens of lives in recent months.

However, sectarian violence has plagued Kurram, a tribal district bordering Afghanistan, for years. Formerly a semi-autonomous area, the region has a history of bloody confrontations between the Shia and Sunni tribes that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years.

In October, at least 16 people, including three women and two children, were killed in a sectarian clash in the district.

A month before that, the death toll from sectarian clashes that lasted for days was reported to be at least 37, where more than 150 were injured.

Following an earlier round of clashes, in July, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had urged the Khyber Pakhutnkhwa government to ensure that the ceasefire being brokered then, holds.

"All disputes, whether over land or born of sectarian conflict, must be resolved peacefully through negotiations convened by the KP government with all stakeholders represented,” it said in a statement on July 29.

Speaking to Al Jazeera in August, Mehmood Ali Jan, a member of the local peace committee said the conflict erupted between Maleekhel, a Shia-majority tribe, and Madgi Kalay, a Sunni-majority tribe, over a piece of land in Boshehra village, 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Parachinar.

"It was agricultural land originally owned by the Shia tribe, which they had leased to the Sunni tribe for farming. The lease was supposed to end in July, but when the time came, they refused to return the land, sparking the fighting," Jan said.

Jan added that the local peace committee, which included members of both Shia and Sunni tribes, immediately tried to defuse the situation and urged the government to intervene. However, he claimed the government's response was delayed.

However, Nisar Ahmad Khan, the district police officer, refuted accusations of government inaction, saying authorities responded swiftly once the fighting began. He acknowledged that limited manpower and challenging terrain slowed the response.

With additional reporting by Kamran Ali.