LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Dec 24: Authorities in Bara have deployed hundreds of paramilitary and Khasadar force to avert clashes between two religious groups in Malikdinkhel Sipah area. The situation is tense after heads of the two rival factions headed by Mufti Munir Shakir and Pir Saifur Rehman have called for the expulsion of each other from Bara and warned of using force.

The two religious heads have convened separate meetings of their supporters in Bara on Sunday. Mufti Munir Shakir and Pir Safur Rehman, heads of their respective factions, accused each other of misleading their followers in the name of Islam and branded each other ‘infidels’ and agents of anti-Islamic forces.

They developed serious differences over certain religious rituals some two years ago. Both the factions were illegally using FM radio stations for propagating their own brand of Islam.

The Mufti group had earlier given a deadline of Dec 18 to Pir Saifur Rehman to voluntary leave Bara, but he had to extend the deadline after intervention of tribal elders. In one of his sermons on his FM radio station, the Mufti on Friday warned of using force if the Pir was not expelled till Sunday.

The Pir group instead accused the Mufti of fanning Shia-Sunni clashes in Kurram Agency few years back and demanded that he should be immediately expelled as he was allegedly using abusive language against religious heads and area elders through his FM radio station.

On the other hand the Mufti accused the Pir of killing nearly a dozen innocent people in Tirah valley in August 2004 when supporters of both the groups used heavy weapons against each other.

Area residents demanded that the administration should take action against both the leaders as the situation was getting tense and feared a bloody clash between the two groups.

The people of the area have also demanded immediate ban on the use of FM radio station in Bara as they believed that the stations were misused by the two groups.

Meanwhile, the Khyber Agency political administration was in touch with a representative jirga of Bara elders and was trying to stop both the groups from holding public meetings on Sunday.

The administration has called additional personnel of Kahsadar, Khyber Rifles and Mehsood Scouts from Landi Kotal and Jamrud to control the situation.