THE Kurram tribal district of KP has witnessed far too many incidents of vicious bloodletting over the years. In this sensitive region of the country, sectarian and tribal disputes can coalesce into ugly communal confrontations, while the area’s proximity to Afghanistan has made it vulnerable to the spill-over of geopolitical events in that country. The area has also suffered from intense militant violence. The events of Thursday illustrate just how easily Kurram’s fragile peace can be shattered. At least eight people were killed in two separate but connected attacks; in the first incident, an individual was gunned down in the Shalozan area, and in apparent retaliation, an armed mob killed seven people, mostly teachers, at a school in Teri Mangal. Protests, led by teachers, were held in Parachinar on Friday, with demonstrators calling for justice for their slain colleagues. The authorities insist that a land dispute dating back to the 1950s was the cause of the incidents. While that may be correct, as stated above, tribal and sectarian disputes often merge in Kurram, which is why it is essential to defuse tensions before they spread to other sensitive areas such as Orakzai, Hangu etc.

The first priority for the state must be to track down and punish those responsible for these reprehensible killings. While all violence is condemnable, the fact that educators were so mercilessly targeted is particularly painful. The state needs to keep in mind the blood-soaked history of the area and act with alacrity. Kurram and its neighbouring areas witnessed intense violence between 2007 and 2011. It should be remembered that terrorists had blocked the Thall-Parachinar road for nearly four years, effectively laying siege to the area and forcing local people to make the perilous journey through Afghanistan to reach the rest of the country. Thousands had been killed and injured during this cycle of violence, while hundreds of thousands had been internally displaced. Thankfully, the area has witnessed relative calm for around a decade, though there have been sporadic disturbances linked to militancy after the TTP restarted their activities last year. The state must make every effort to prevent Kurram from slipping back into the vortex of sectarian/tribal bloodshed. Tribal elders, ulema and officials must together spearhead efforts to keep the peace, and prevent the latest outrage from spiralling out of control, while sectarian hatemongers must be dealt with decisively.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2023