(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Parachinar- Fear gripped Pakistan's northwestern Kurram district on Friday as the death toll from two terror attacks rose to 50, with authorities imposing a curfew and suspending mobile phone services in the remote mountainous region.
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Terrorists suspected to be members of Daesh opened fire on vehicles carrying members of Shia Muslim community on Thursday in one of the region's deadliest such attacks in recent years.
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The vehicles were traveling in a convoy from Parachinar to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when gunmen opened fire, the officials said. The vehicles were ambushed in Taliban-dominated areas, a local journalist said. Local media reports say that there were over 200 vehicles in the convoy.
Rescue authorities said 50 people, including eight women and five children were killed in the attack. One report said terrorists checked identity cards of the victims before shooting them.
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The assault took place in Kurram, a Shia dominated district in Sunni majority Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Kurram has been under relentless attacks by hardline militants for years.
“Total 42 people have been killed and 19 others are injured in the attack,” Deputy Commissioner Kurram, Javaid Ullah Mehsud, said on Friday, saying police were yet to file a report on the incident.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack, which came a week after authorities reopened a key highway in the region that had been closed for weeks following deadly clashes.
However according to Iftikhar Firdos, a local journalist and analyst, an Islamic State cell active in the region (known as ISKP, which stands for Islamic State Khorasan Province) 'has been trying to exert influence in the area for some time by targeting the Shia population and fomenting sectarian violence'.
A senior administration official told the AFP news agency the situation was“extremely tense” with locals staging a sit-in in Parachinar, the district's main town.
“A curfew has been imposed on the main road connecting Upper and Lower Kurram, and the bazaar remains completely closed, with all traffic suspended,” the official said.
Shop owners in Parachinar had announced a strike on Friday to protest the attack.
Locals described an atmosphere of fear across the district.
“The night was spent in tension,” said local youth activist Irfanullah Khan.“People in different villages were guarding their homes ... The region is in grief as the situation is tense. Anything can happen.”
Successive governments both in Islamabad and KPK have been accused of not taking any action against the terrorists except issuing mere statements.
According to Amelia Gill, a human rights activist based in the UK, 'the main cause of these incidents is hate speech that can incite mob violence and religious extremism'.
The activist also accused the state of being absent in some regions of the country: 'What is the state doing, why is it not dealing with these monsters? In fact, the silence of the state is the main reason for all these unpleasant incidents. The citizens of KP and Baluchistan live their lives like hell because the state has failed to control the situation. My question is: is Pakistan a place where innocent citizens can live freely? When will the state protect its citizens?” he added.
Baqir Haideri, a local Shia leader, denounced the assault and accused local authorities of not providing adequate security for the convoy of more than 100 vehicles despite fears of possible attacks by terrorists.
Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) announced nationwide protests and a mourning period against the attack on unarmed civilians.
Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad, Syed Nasir Abbas Shirazi and other party leaders criticised the provincial and federal governments for failing to protect civilians. He particularly criticised Chief Minister Gandapur, federal Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi and the inefficiency of security institutions.
“More than 50 people have been martyred. We condemn the criminal silence of the interior minister,” he added.“The rulers want to run this country at the cost of our blood.”
“This is not a Shia-Sunni problem. The responsibility for the blood of these innocent passengers lies with law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, and Sharif said those behind the killing of innocent civilians will not go unpunished. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the shootings a“terrorist attack.
Shia Muslims make up about 20 percent of the 240 million population of Sunni-majority Pakistan.
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