PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Warring tribes in Pakistan’s northwest were ordered to hand over their weapons after weeks of deadly violence, authorities said Friday.
Clashes in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have killed at least 130 people in recent weeks, triggering road closures and other measures that have disrupted people’s access to medicine, food, fuel, education and work.
The violence flared on Nov. 21 when gunmen ambushed a vehicle convoy and killed 52 people, mostly Shiite Muslims. Nobody claimed responsibility for the assault, which triggered retaliatory gunfire and arson by rival groups in several areas.
On Friday, authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ordered tribes to hand over their weapons and sign an agreement through government mediation to ensure compliance.
“A 15-day framework will be provided for voluntary weapon collection. All weapons must be handed over to the administration by February,” provincial government spokesman Mohammed Ali Saif said.
Authorities also ordered the dismantling of bunkers and the temporary reopening of roads on humanitarian grounds on an intermittent basis. Security personnel will guard convoys to ensure safe passage and there will be helicopters to address transport issues.
“Both parties will refrain from any violent actions to keep the ground routes open. Otherwise, the administration will be compelled to close the routes again,” the spokesman added.
But a group of Shiite scholars said the confiscation of weapons could put the community at risk, and they expressed their disappointment with the order.
“This approach will result in further harm,” they said at a news conference in the city of Parachinar city. “Without weapons, residents will be at the mercy of terrorists who could easily capture and kill them.”
Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of the country. The area has a history of sectarian conflict, with militant groups previously targeting the minority group.
But they generally live peacefully alongside Sunni Muslims, who are the majority in Pakistan.
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