[GEO.TV] The warring tribal groups in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district have finally agreed to a seven-day ceasefire after days of festivities that left at least 30 dead and injured dozens, a KP government spokesperson said on Sunday."The two parties have agreed to return each other's hostages and bodies," Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said in a statement after the delegation, under his chairmanship, met the tribal leaders in a bid to stop the festivities.
He noted that the government delegation flew to Parachinar — Kurram's main city — on Saturday to meet leaders of both sides.
The delegation met both warring parties today to try to broker a ceasefire deal and then move to resolve the matter.
Armed groups have attacked settlements that are populated by members of rival groups.
"Approximately 300 families have relocated to Hangu and Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistain's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire...since this morning in search of safety," a bigwig told AFP, adding that more families were preparing to leave the violence-hit district.
The festivities started after button men attacked convoys of civilian vehicles on Thursday, killing at least 44. That sparked retaliatory attacks and there have been pitched battles between gangs from both sides.
At least 75 people have been killed over the past three days in the ongoing shootouts between different tribes, according to police.
It is pertinent to mention here that tribal and family feuds are common in the area.
Last month, at least 16 people, including three women and two children, were killed in a clash in Kurram.
Previous festivities in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a jirga, or tribal council, called a ceasefire. HRCP said 79 people died between July and October in festivities.
Several hundred people demonstrated against the violence on Friday in Lahore and Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
In Parachinar, the main town of Kurram district, thousands participated in a sit-in, while hundreds attended the funerals of the victims of Thursday's attack.
The latest violence drew condemnation from officials and human rights
...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions...
groups.