Death toll from Kurram gun attack rises to 54

The death toll from the Kurram gun attack rose to 54 on Saturday.

On Thursday, 41 people were killed when gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying members of the Shiite community in the Kurram tribal district in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan.

The gun attack, one of the deadliest in recent years in the area, took place in the district where sectarian clashes have killed dozens of people in recent months. As per various media reports, clashes continued until Saturday, leaving more people deal in the district.

“So far, we have received almost 54 dead and another 86 wounded from the clashes,” media quoted Dr. Mir Hassan Jan, medical superintendent at the district headquarters hospital in Parachinar, one of Kurram’s main towns, as saying.

“In addition, we have referred 16 seriously wounded to Peshawar who were in critical condition,” he added.

Dr. Jan said bodies had been brought to the hospital since Thursday, forcing him to instruct all medics at the hospital to remain on duty around the clock.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which came a week after authorities reopened a key highway in the region that had been closed for weeks following deadly clashes.

Previous clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a tribal council called for a ceasefire.

Separately, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur sent a high-level delegation comprising provincial Law Minister Advocate Aftab Alam, KP chief secretary, commissioner Kohat Division and deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Kohat division to Kurram to assess the situation there.

The delegation would take members of the local jirga, or tribal council, into confidence and attempt to restore law and order in the area, said Hashim Khan, media officer to the KP law minister.

“After the visit, the delegation will submit a detailed report to the chief minister,” Khan said.

“The provincial government will then comprehensive measures to control the situation in Kurram with the input of tribal elders.”

Mourners on Saturday demanded the government hold a transparent inquiry into the incident.

“A transparent inquiry of this incident should be carried out,” said Hayat Abbas Najafi, one of the mourners in Parachinar.

“We call on the government as well as security institutions that Parchinar, which is a great part of Pakistan, should be saved from sectarianism and should be provided safety and security.”

Sajjad Hussain, another mourner, said among those killed were infants as young as six months old and women.

“They were innocent passengers. What was their fault,” he asked.