Shi’ite and Sunni leaders in northwestern Pakistan on January 1 signed a peace agreement to end tensions and establish a permanent cease-fire after clashes believed to be linked to a tribal land dispute killed more than 100 people in the past 90 days.
A traditional gathering of ethnic, religious, and political leaders known as a Loya Jirga concluded in the regional capital, Quetta, after the parties signed the agreement. The meeting had taken place over the previous three weeks with the support of the provincial government.
The agreement comes after an attack on November 21, 2024, on a passenger convoy in the Kurram district killed around 46 Shi’ites and four Sunnis. Fighting between Shi’ite and Sunni groups subsequently broke out, killing around 130 people and injuring more than 200, including the initial attack on November 21.
SEE ALSO: What Is Behind The Deadly Sectarian Violence In Pakistan?An earlier attack on October 12, 2024, initially injured three people traveling to Kunj Alizu mountain before the gunmen attacked a convoy of passenger vehicles in the same area, killing 17.
Malik Abdul Wali Khan, a participant in the Loya Jirga, told RFE/RL on January 1 that Shi’ite leaders had first signed the agreement. Twenty leaders representing Sunnis then added their signatures on January 1. Some of the remaining leaders would sign the agreement soon, Khan said.
He added that after the peace agreement is signed by all the leaders attending the Loya Jirga, roads in the Kurram district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province that have been closed for nearly three months will be reopened and the government will be responsible for protecting them.
SEE ALSO: 'Our Children Are Dying': The Toll Of Sectarian Violence In A Pakistani CityRoads in Kurram have remained closed despite repeated calls from the public for them to be reopened. Though the two sides reached a cease-fire brokered by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on December 1, 2024, key public roads have not reopened, according to local residents.
The road closures have led to severe shortages of essential goods, including food, medicine, fuel, firewood, and gas.
The provincial government had previously decided to deploy about 400 special police officers to secure the Parachinar road in Kurram by setting up checkpoints every few kilometers.
According to the agreement signed at the Loya Jirga, a strategy is to be developed within 15 days for the handover of weapons to the government. In return, the bunkers built by both sides in the area will be dismantled, and all people displaced by the unrest will be resettled back home.
The agreement also says that future land disputes will be resolved through oral and written documents and says the government will take action against those who spread hate on social media.