Conflicts & War

Pakistan deploys army after ethnic violence leaves 10 dead

Islamabad, Jul 12 (EFE).- The army was deployed in northwestern Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday to check ethnic violence that in recent days has left ten dead and more than 30 wounded, following a dispute between two tribes over land ownership.

“The army and FC (Frontier Constabulary) have been deployed in the area of fighting which will remain there until the situation is back to normal,” Hafiz Ullah, Assistant Commissioner of Upper Kurram – where violence broke out – , told EFE.

“So far 10 people have been killed and more than 30 are injured in the fighting,” he added.

Violence broke out four days ago when members of a tribe tried to build a building on disputed land and found resistance from its rival tribe.

The situation worsened on Tuesday with more tribes joining the fight, which prompted the provincial authorities to request an army intervention in the area to restore law and order, the official said.

Gunshots are heard in videos of the violence posted on social media with locals claiming the incidents have paralyzed routine life in the area, while some people complained of disruptions in food supply in the area.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home and Tribal Affairs Department said that a 30-member jirga, or local council, had gone to Kurram to resolve the dispute.

“There are eight different land disputes going on in central, lower and upper areas of Kurram district, most of which date back to pre-independence time (before 1947),” the department said in a statement. EFE

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