Dera Ismail Khan is a flashpoint for violence between the Shia and Sunni communities. —Reuters/File photo

PESHAWAR The Pakistan government on Thursday shored up a peace agreement reached by Sunni and Shia leaders in one of the country's most notorious flashpoints of sectarian violence.

'We support the peace agreement in Dera Ismail Khan,' Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters after meeting members of a local peace committee in the northwest town, which has been rocked by a series of sectarian killings.

Dera Ismail Khan, which neighbours Pakistan's restive tribal region on the border with Afghanistan, is a flashpoint for violence between the Shia and Sunni communities.

Pakistan can ill afford to fan the flames of sectarian violence as it strains to contain militants during offensives against the Taliban in the tribal belt and pockets of the northwest.

'I am pleased to meet the jirga who reached this peace agreement and Shia and Sunni brothers have shown solidarity to stop the incidents of terrorism,' the interior minister said.

The deal was brokered by pro-Taliban cleric and senior politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman two weeks ago. Elders from both sides have promised to work for peace and harmony, and hand over wanted persons to the authorities. —AFP