At least 38 people were killed in a gun attack targeting a passenger vehicle in the lower Kurram area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in Pakistan. Another 29 people were injured. Police said three of the victims were women. Pakistani media Dawn reported this news.
Ahmed Shama Police Station Officer Kalim Shah Media told Dawn that two convoys of passengers were attacked. One was carrying passengers from Peshawar to Parachinar and the other from Parachinar to Peshawar. The gunmen opened fire on the two vehicles.
Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the number of casualties. Speaking to reporters outside the Islamabad High Court, he said, 'The injured have been taken to different local hospitals. A few critical ones have been shifted to Peshawar.'
KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chowdhury told Reuters that the death toll may increase.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The tribal area bordering Afghanistan has been plagued by decades of tension between armed Shia and Sunni Muslims over land disputes.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. He said, 'Attacks on innocent passengers are cowardly and inhumane.'
Zardari called for strict punishment of the guilty and ordered to provide quick medical care to the injured.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin has promised to swiftly bring those involved in the Gandapur attack to justice. He also announced financial assistance to the families of the victims.
Recently, the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan's Balochistan and KP provinces has increased in recent times.
