38 civilians dead in attack on passenger vans in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

At least 38 people were killed and 29 injured when gunmen opened fire on passenger vans in a tribal area in northwestern Pakistan. The attack occurred in the Kurram region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as two convoys of passenger vehicles were traveling between Parachinar and Peshawar. Among the victims were a woman and a child, and the death toll is expected to rise.

Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, the Chief Secretary for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, confirmed the assault, noting that the gunmen targeted the vans traveling in a convoy. A local resident, Ziarat Hussain, described the attack, explaining that his relatives were among those traveling in the convoy. The gunmen fired on both convoys, one heading to Parachinar and the other to Peshawar. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly and inhumane act.” Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also condemned the violence, stressing the importance of maintaining law and order to protect civilian lives.

This attack follows a history of tensions between armed Shia and Sunni Muslim groups in the region, stemming from long-standing land disputes along the Afghan border. In a similar incident in August, gunmen killed 23 people in Balochistan after forcing them out of their vehicles and shooting them based on their ethnicity. This was part of a broader campaign by separatist militants in Balochistan, who have targeted workers from Pakistan’s eastern Punjab region.

The attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa highlights the ongoing insecurity in Pakistan’s tribal areas, where ethnic and sectarian violence continues to destabilize the region. As investigations continue, the government faces increasing pressure to ensure safety and bring those responsible to justice.