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| India-Pakistan |
| Talks begin to quell sectarian violence |
| 2007-04-09 |
| Authorities have entered into negotiations with tribal elders to control sectarian violence in northwest Pakistan, which has already left 40 people dead, officials said on Sunday. Sectarian clashes between Sunni and Shiite Muslims erupted in the remote tribal town of Parachinar on Friday and spread to nearby villages on Sunday, said officials. An official dealing with security in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, Arbab Arif said that 40 people had been killed in clashes, but Parachinar administration official Sahibzada Anees stated the death toll was 15. “I can only confirm 15 deaths in the clashes so far,” said Anees. The fighting has also left over 53 people wounded over the course of the past three days. The authorities have placed Parachinar under curfew and soldiers in the area have been given shoot-on-sight orders to curb violence in the town whose population is around 70,000. A Kurram Agency political agent said that the administration was trying to secure a ceasefire in the areas through tribal jirga and negotiations. There are also reports that both Sunni and Shiite elders are working for restoration of peace. Anees said the trouble started because of a Shiite demonstration against local Sunnis on Friday after local Sunnis allegedly chanted anti-Shiite slogans during a religious rally last week. Local Sunni leader Shirin Mengal said the Shiites began burning Sunni-owned shops and homes. He said more than 400 homes and shops of Sunni Muslims had been burned by Shiites. Permanent secretary at the interior ministry Syed Kamal Shah said, “The fighting has been quelled in Parachinar, but the problem still exists in rural areas.” Sahibzada Mohammad Anis, the top administrator of Kurram, said tribal elders were trying to defuse the situation and warned of ‘military action’ if the fighting did not stop. He said the fighting tribesmen were using heavy weapons including mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 The violence must be stopped at all costs. Use of automatic weapons to insure above is cleared. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-04-09 17:32 |
| #1 Finally! Somebody is doing something to stop the violence. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-04-09 02:57 |