Pakistan sectarian violence kills 32, injures 47 amid ongoing Sunni-Shiite clashes

At least 32 people were killed and 47 wounded in sectarian clashes in northwest Pakistan, an official said on Saturday, two days after attacks on Shiite passenger convoys killed 43.

Sporadic fighting between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan has killed around 150 over the past months.

“Fighting between Shiite and Sunni communities continues at multiple locations. According to the latest reports, 32 people have been killed which include 14 Sunnis and 18 Shiites,” a senior administrative official said on Saturday on condition of anonymity.

On Thursday, gunmen opened fire on two separate convoys of Shiite Muslims travelling with a police escort in Kurram, killing 43 and leaving 11 in “critical condition”, officials said.

In retaliation, Shiite Muslims on Friday evening attacked several Sunni businesses in the Kurram district, once a semi-autonomous region, where sectarian violence has resulted in the deaths of hundreds over the years.

“Around 7pm, a group of enraged Shiite individuals attacked the Sunni-dominated Bagan Bazaar,” a senior police officer stationed in Kurram said.