Ceasefire Brokered in Sectarian Clashes in NW Pakistan

A seven-day ceasefire has been agreed upon between rival sectarian groups in northwest Pakistan after days of violence that left at least 68 dead. Mediators have facilitated prisoner exchanges and the return of bodies, while the government remains silent on identifying the attackers.

A government-led mediation team in Pakistan has successfully negotiated a seven-day ceasefire deal between warring sectarian factions, halting a spate of clashes. Violence in the northwest region had claimed the lives of at least 68 individuals, with injuries sustained by numerous others.

The unrest ignited when gunmen targeted civilian convoys, resulting in at least 40 fatalities, predominantly among Shi'ite Muslims. This triggered a sequence of retaliatory strikes on Sunni residents, escalating to battles among armed factions from both sects. A longstanding land dispute in Kurram district, near the Afghanistan border, has fueled tribal and sectarian tensions for decades.

Brokers of the ceasefire hope it will be extended, while both factions have concurred to a prisoner exchange including women, and the recovery of those killed. The broader implications of the agreement may help quell smaller skirmishes across the district, although the government has yet to identify the original attackers.

(With inputs from agencies.)