Pakistan lawmaker to Mehr
TEHRAN, (MNA) – A Pakistan lawmaker has reacted to the recent terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, rejecting sectarianism as the cause behind terrorist acts in the Parachinar region.
Gunmen opened fire on convoys of Shia pilgrims in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 42 people, according to authorities in the restive province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Women and children were among the fatalities in the attacks in the Kurram tribal district on Thursday, police said on Friday.
Sectarian violence has escalated since July in Kurram, a region bordering Afghanistan, between Shia and Sunni tribes over land disputes.
Gunmen opened fire on two separate convoys of Shia pilgrims traveling with police escorts in Kurram.
Following this terrorist incident, Mehr News Agency reached out to Hamid Hussain, a member of the Parliament of Pakistan from Parachinar city for an interview.
Hamid Hussain said that a few months ago, a Sunni convoy was targeted by terrorists in the same place and more than 30 Sunnis were martyred in that incident.
After the Peshawar-Parachinar was opened a few weeks ago, and after negotiations between the people of Parachinar and the Pakistani security and government institutions, the people agreed to travel on this road in a convoy accompanied by the army, he said.
This convoy which was traveling to Peshawar in private and public vehicles with several security officers was attacked by terrorists, resulting in more than 43 martyrs and many passengers being injured while none of the officers who were with them to protect the passengers were even injured.
Hussain noted that the question is how come nothing happened to those who were tasked with protecting the passengers while so many civilians were killed and injured.
Answering this question of how can this road become safe for travelers, especially Shiites, he said that they must clear the road itself and its surroundings of terrorists first, adding that if security around the road is ensured, there is no need for security forces to accompany travelers.
Regarding the factors behind these terrorist attacks, Hussain said that the alleged Shia-Sunni sectarian issue is not the problem in this region, noting that there is another power involved in these crimes with specific goals that we do not know.
According to the media, the clashes in Parachinar are over ownership of a piece of land. Pakistan Parliament member said regarding this matter, of all these border areas, the only place that has land ownership documents is this Kurram area where both Shiites and Sunnis live.
If the government or security agencies wanted, they could resolve this issue in a day as all the necessary documents are available, he said, adding that these conflicts are not over land ownership but there is a power that wants conflict in Parachinar.
Considering that the army and security forces who are responsible for protecting the people on behalf of the government, have not been able to do anything, Hussain said that local forces consisting of Shia and Sunni youth should expel the security forces from Parachinar.
He emphasized that the solution to all problems is unity and cohesion among Muslims, adding that the Shia and Sunni people of Parachinar should know that there is a power that makes the two sides against each other and is exploiting these conflicts for its sinister purposes.
"We must be united and know the international powers, domestic powers, and our main enemies which is the only way to save us," he stressed.
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