The Kurram tribal district is situated in the KP province of Pakistan and has experienced frequent conflicts for a long time. Here in Kurram, over the past several months, sectarian and tribal clashes have escalated; many people have been killed, and the region is in a state of uncertainty. The fighting persists even after the provincial government has tried to negotiate ceasefires many times, and this confirms that the problem is rooted.
In this blog post, the causes of continued violence in Kurram, historical context, the involvement of outsiders and insiders, and a brief means for reintroducing order to this vital and culturally rich part of Pakistan will be discussed.
The Historical Setting Of Kurram
Like the current State of affairs, Kurram has a checkered past. It is one of the most critical locations in the country, near the Afghanistan border. The area was always troubled, but the recent cycle of violenceику was influenced both by tribal and sectarian motives. These tensions have often been compounded by external forces, which have negated any efforts to solve the problem, hence instability.
Its function during the Great Game is significant as it served as a buffer between two powers and an outpost for intelligence gathering. For this reason, the Si factions generated great interest during the Great Game.
It should also be noted that Khurram’s geographical location has always been strategic, which is why this region has always been the theatre of conflict. Up to the 19th century, the British called the area ‘the actor in the great game,’ the conflict with Russia. Due to its position projecting into Afghanistan and not far from Kabul, the area was of interest to any imperial powers.
About the Cold War, Kurram was at the center during the Soviet-Afghan War of the 1980s. The region turned out to be a spring ground for the Afghan mujahideen and their fight against the Soviet invasion. It is worth mentioning that Kurram shared borders with Afghanistan, which meant that it provided an excellent environment for the insurgents, including Osama Bin Laden, to set up his training camp in Tora Bora and Jaji.
The region remained important also in the developments following the September 11 incidents. It has been documented that after the USA invaded Afghanistan, Bin Laden and other negative Al-Qaeda leaders used the Kurram district to flee. Such a geopolitical significance has made the region enduringly volatile, and the subsequent bursts of violence and insecurity have always been associated with new movements in regional politics.
Sectarian Tensions: A Legacy of Divisions
But that is not the only factor that has fragmented Kurram into its internal divisions. The area has seen religious conflict since British rule in India, much before the partition. These tensions were immensely heightened by the Partition of India in 1947 and have constituted the main root of the violence in the district.
Kurram was a dwelling of quite a heterogeneous population in the early decades of the twentieth century, with a considerable concentration of Sunni and Shia communities side by side. However, sectarian violence started as early as 1938 when the tribe members in Kurram were involved in sectarian violence associated with the more significant political and religious tensions in the British Indian Empire. This was just a warm-up for what went to happen in the following decades, whether it was the violence that broke out in France during the summer of 1870 or the Franco-Prussian war that lasted from the summer of 1870 to May 1871 or as a result of the violence that was going in Louisiana during the summer of 1873 that resulted to killing of several people.
The first significant sectarian violence in Kurram Agency erupted in 1961 in the Muharram procession. Since then, this region has, from time to time, experienced sectarian conflicts precipitated by local issues or events at the national level that may be deemed sensitive to the region’s religious inclinations. The most extensive of such clashes occurred in 1971 when the construction of a mosque minaret in Parachinar, the capital of Kurram, was threatened.
Over the years, these tensions between the different sectarian groups by that time have increased, and other powers mobilized these groups for their gains. The religious militants continue to play the role of the local fighters instead of the central fighters from the Afghanistan and Iran sides, which have made Kurram a regional conflict area rather than a local one.
The Current Crisis: Violence on the Increase and Aggression Goes On
Kurram has witnessed the violence getting worse in the recent past at an alarming rate. After the KP government managed to mediate and bring parties to the negotiating table, the region is still experiencing sectarian violence. On November 21, 2024, a passenger convoy near Mandori was attacked and hit, with 44 people killed, many of them women and children. In what seems to be a revenge attack, Baggan Market in Lower Kurram was burnt down, which gulped the lives of 40 other people. This latest round of violence follows months of sporadic clashes: July reported the most deaths, with 49 people, and September had 46, and October 16 people.
People living in the area have been skeptical about the ceasefire deals signed by the government. An official delegation announced a seven-day cease-fire, but there has been no display of this on the field as the death toll increases. The primary cause is still thought to lie in a long-standing inconclusive land issue, which has now turned into a factional conflict of tribal as well as sectarian nature.
This crisis is the latest occurrence of conflict, a tradition in the region for quite some time. Sectarian clashes started in Kurram in 2007, and the killings continued until today and paved the way for more violence. The killings that are witnessed in Kurram are not a result of desert or tribal disputes alone but also sectarian strife.
The Complexity of the Situation
It is thus a rugged case for Kurram. On the one hand, it is a region experiencing protracted internal problems in terms of land ownership, water, and other resources. However, these disputes have been escalated by sectarian tensions among the Shia and Sunni people due to interference by various entities, among them extremists.
Thus, various telling issues stem from the fact that conflict over land is often associated with violence. In some areas, including Balishkhel, Pewar, and Taida, land disputes between tribes have degenerated into sectarianism. Likewise, problems with water and forest resources quickly turned into serious controversies where different communities tried to use the support of their religious beliefs in order to gain control over the resources in the areas where they lived.
The existence of militant groups, both domestic and international groups, is also a bonus. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-i-Sahaba, and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have now become active in Kurram because of the sectarian split. These organizations, some of whom have an operation in neighboring Afghanistan, have brought the Kurram agency into a killing field for their sectarian wars.
The Role of the Government: Reactive, Not Proactive
The government action after the violence in Kurram has again been described as a rescue mission rather than an action plan. Instead, the State has not covered the killings’ root causes but only intervenes when a bloodbath occurs for many years. Although there have been some efforts to negotiate a cease and imATHPeace, most of the time, these have been interim short–a term with no significant changes on the natural ground.
A significant weakness is that the country’s government has been unable to protect the region adequately. Previously, this region was under the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), which made tribes collectively responsible for security. Still, since Kurram has merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the security responsibility has devolved into provincial and federal governments. However, security forces have not been able to keep order given the escalating sectarian crisis and the emergence of militia organizations.
Further, the government has failed to fast-track measures to resolve land issues in 2021, the land was commissioned to establish the Upper and Lower Kurram. However, its recommendations have not been completely put into practice. The carving of these disputes for such a long time has only aggravated the violence since instead of waiting for the State to resolve the same, people are opting to settle it on their own.
A Way Forward: By developing sustainable strategies, local and international organizations may be able to provide throughout Kurram but more particularly in the agency areas of MOHD the following:
Short-Term And Long-Term Strategies To Build Peace In Kurram
Deweaponization and Security
The first measure that must be taken on the road to peace is total decolonization, and to achieve that, the current regime is inadequate. The area is amongst the most militarised in Pakistan, and both the militants and tribe members are heavily armed. Like in Waziristan, a coordinated de-weaponization drive must be required in Kurram, too. This would include residents turning in illegal weapons for civilian possession and a vigorous search for and confiscating unauthorized arms.
Further, the government has the social responsibility of making sure that security forces are well deployed in order not to encourage the continuation of violence in that region. This includes protection of roads that are opened for civilian use, protection of these civilians, making sure militants do not harass them, and creating barriers against the movement of militants around the area.
Resolving Land Disputes
In Kurram, some important land issues need final determination. The Land Commission crisis has already received some level of address, but the commission’s findings must be laid to the public, and the affected parties must agree. Implementing this will be a tall order for the government, local authorities, and the tribes where the resolution will pass to make sure that it is fair and everyone gets what he deserves.
Building State And Local Systems Of Governance
I believe controlling the agency is essential to building a fresh foundation of peace for a long duration in Kurram. The government requires able persons to head the local administrations, the police, and the judiciary to solve problems without violence and injustice. Local agencies should be reinforced and facilitated for a better performing role of the Kurram Militia for maintaining peace.
The government can not sit idle; it has to strive to reduce sectarianism in Kurram. This ranges from advocating for religious tolerance, encouraging local-led conflict resolution efforts, and closely observing and combating groups who would wish to exploit the religious divide. It is the function of the State to prevent one group from being dominant over the other or, in this case, Sunni over Shia or Shia over Sunni.
Engaging with External Actors
Moreover, the role of the government seems to address some external actors, especially in Afghanistan, in a bid to check those who are carrying out cross-border terrorism. This can only be accomplished by enhancing border control, raising the efficiency of the exchange of information between Pakistan and Afghan intelligence, and synchronizing the two countries’ efforts to counter-terrorism.
Conclusion
Sectarian and tribal violence in Kurram is a sad and serious issue that deserves more than one way of fixing. The government must stop taking a defensive position and start demanding active improvement rather than waiting for new conflicts to occur. This means that only a combination of a security solution, political negotiation, and active grassroots participation can free Kurram from a cycle of violence as it seeks sustainable peace.
It amounts to a lot more than what is at issue for Kurram and the bigger region of North Waziristan. Kurram Agency has been in turmoil, and now its violent repercussions are witnessed in other Pushtoon-dominated areas of Kohat, D.I.Khan, and Quetta, etc.; the peace process and negotiations have not yet got rid of violence and, therefore, a safe, stable, and sustainable method must, be sought immediately. A lack of practical steps will lead to an increase in violence, more deaths, and constantly amplified instability in the area. Now, the state governor, the local tribes of the Kurram agency, and the international community must work hand in hand to put an end to the Kurram crisis.
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