PESHAWAR: The death toll from gun attack in northwest Pakistan rose to 42, local authorities said on Friday.
Armed men opened fire Thursday on passenger vehicles travelling with police escorts in Kurram, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghanistan border.
Local authorities said on Thursday that 38 people, including six women, were killed and several others injured in the gun attack.
The country’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi talking to media had confirmed that 38 people were killed in the Kurram attack.
Earlier, Tehsil Head Quarters (THQ) Hospital Alizai Medical Superintendent Dr Muhammad Ishaq said 33 people were killed and 30 injured, adding that the injured were referred to various hospitals in the district and some to Peshawar.
Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry speaking to Reuters feared that “the death toll is likely to rise”.
Javed Ullah Mehsud, deputy commissioner of the region has also confirmed that 38 people were killed in the attack.
According to DPO Kurram, a convoy of vehicles coming from Peshawar to Parachinar came under fire in the Ucheat area of Kurram District. Automatic weapons were used by the gunmen, he added. Police and rescue teams reached the spot and launched a search for the attackers.
Eyewitnesses say that unknown persons came in a vehicle and started firing at the passenger vans with automatic weapons. They said the firing continued for half an hour. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Kurram is a mountainous area that shares a long border with Afghanistan with a population of 619,553 persons.
President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident and expressed his condolences to the bereaved of the deceased. “Attacking innocent passengers is a cowardly and inhumane act,” he was quoted as saying in a post on X by PPP’s media cell.
President @AAliZardari strongly condemns firing at passenger vehicles in Kurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Read More: https://t.co/0MJxNySaPr pic.twitter.com/TDke2Jfrsz
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) November 21, 2024
He added that those responsible for the incident should be punished.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered that the best medical facilities be provided to the people injured in the attack. He issued a directive to identify the attackers and punish them.
“The enemies of the peace of the country attacked the convoy of innocent citizens which is tantamount to brutality. All attempts of anti-national elements to destroy the peace of the beloved country will be thwarted.
وزیرِ اعظم کی حملے میں زخمی ہونے والے افراد کو بہترین طبی سہولیات فراہم کرنے اور حملہ آوروں کی نشاندہی کرکے انہیں قرار واقعی سزا دلوانے کی ہدایت
”ملک دشمن عناصر کی وطن عزیز کے امن کو تباہ کرنے کی تمام تر مزموم کوششوں کو ناکام بنائیں گے۔"
~وزیرِ اعظم محمد شہباز شریف pic.twitter.com/PpOSxow1oj— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) November 21, 2024
Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the incident and took strict notice.
He directed a delegation comprising the chief secretary, provincial law minister and the area’s lawmakers to visit Kurram immediately and personally assess the conditions there and submit a report.
“Work should be done to establish a provincial highways police to secure all highways in the province,” Gandapur directed the authorities.
While announcing financial assistance for the families of those killed in the attack, he said targeting innocent citizens was “extremely regrettable and condemnable”.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Pakistan has condemned the terrorist attack. In a statement, the Iranian embassy expressed sincere condolences to the government and people of Pakistan particularly the families who lost loved ones.
Statement of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the condemnation of the terrorist incident: pic.twitter.com/0vebheK3qG
— Embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran- Islamabad (@IraninIslamabad) November 21, 2024
“Terrorism is a common threat against the entire region and the world and is condemned in all its dimensions and shapes and in all places,” it noted.
Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Neil Hawkins in a post on X has also condemned the deadly attack.
I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack on innocent civilians including women and children in Kurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected and the people of 🇵🇰 Pakistan at this difficult time. #Parachinar#پاراچنار
— Neil Hawkins (@AusHCPak) November 21, 2024
“I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack on innocent civilians including women and children in Kurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected and the people of Pakistan at this difficult time,” he said.
The embassy of the Russian Federation on X expressed its shock at the attack.
خیبر پختونخوا کے ضلع کرم میں شہری قافلوں پر مسلح افراد کے حملے کی خبر ہمارے لیے انتہائی افسوس کا باعث ہے-
ہم اس سفاکانہ حملے کی پرزور مذمت کرتے ہیں اور متاثرہ خاندانوں سے دلی تعزیت کا اظہار کرتے ہیں۔ ہم تمام زخمیوں کی جلد صحت یابی کے لیے دعاگو ہیں۔ pic.twitter.com/SM7jkmzYql
— RusEmbassy_Pakistan (@RusEmbPakistan) November 21, 2024
“We strongly condemn this brutal attack and express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. We pray for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” the statement said.
Kurram district has been marred with clashes between various tribes and parties for the past several months. The clashes have claimed dozens of lives.
The violence has led to frequent closure of major and link roads as well as the border with Afghanistan, causing immense troubles for the local residents.
Last month 12 people were killed in shooting incidents in Kunj Alizai area of Kurram district.
