Pakistan mourns 40 victims of sectarian ambush

Pakistani mourners gathered at Parachinar for the funerals of 40 Shi’ite Muslims killed in an ambush on an escorted bus convoy a day earlier.

A deadly sectarian attack in Pakistan's northwestern region has claimed 40 lives and injured 29 others when gunmen ambushed a convoy of buses carrying Shi'ite Muslims near Parachinar, along the Afghan border. The victims, including eight women, were targeted with automatic gunfire despite traveling in a security-escorted convoy, a common safety measure in the region.

The incident has sparked widespread protests across Pakistan, with hundreds taking to the streets to condemn the killings. In Parachinar, the site of the attack, mourners gathered for funeral services while the town came to a complete standstill, with all markets, educational institutions, and businesses closed in response to the tragedy.

The attack occurred in an area historically plagued by sectarian violence between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim communities, who have long contested over land and power. Shi'ites in the region, a minority within Pakistan's predominantly Sunni population of 241 million, have frequently been targeted by militant groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, who consider them heretics.

Local official Javedullah Mehsud reported that nine of the 29 wounded remain in critical condition. In the aftermath of the attack, two Sunnis were reportedly killed in retaliatory violence, escalating tensions in the area. A police officer, speaking anonymously, described the situation as highly volatile, with hundreds of angry citizens gathering in Parachinar's main bazaar.

Survivor Jamshed Hussain, speaking from his hospital bed, revealed that the convoy consisted of approximately 100 vehicles under police escort when the attack occurred. As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the deadly ambush, which ranks among the region's most serious sectarian incidents in recent times.