Pakistani authorities say they have negotiated a seven-day ceasefire after renewed sectarian violence in northwestern Pakistan left more than 80 people dead.
It was reported that 156 people were injured in three days of fighting in the Kurram tribal region near the Afghan border.
The violence began on Thursday. Gunmen attack Shia Muslim convoy Travel through the area with police escort. More than 40 people were killed in the incident, which prompted retaliatory attacks.
Shiite and Sunni Muslims have been locked in tribal and sectarian rivalry over land disputes for decades.
After negotiations on Sunday, government spokesman Muhammad Ali Saif said both Shia and Sunni leaders had agreed to stop the violence, Reuters and AFP reported.
A local administration official told AFP on Sunday that 82 people were killed and 156 injured in clashes and attacks on convoys on November 21, 22 and 23.
He, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said 16 of the dead were Sunni and 66 were Shiite.
Those killed in Thursday’s convoy attack included women and children. Passenger Saeeda Bano described to BBC Urdu how she feared she would be killed while hiding under her car seat with her children.
Hundreds of residents fled as violence escalated on Friday and Saturday.
One Sunni villager said his family fled to safety while he stayed behind. “We heard gunshots all night long. “I sent the women and children of my family into the mountains to hide,” the man said.
“You know how cold it is right now, but I have no other choice. Everyone else here is doing the same,” he added.
This comes after the tribal council called for a ceasefire after dozens of people have been killed in attacks in the past few months.
AFP reported on Saturday that local officials had begun talks with Shia and Sunni community leaders.
A security official in the provincial capital Peshawar told AFP that the negotiating team’s helicopter was attacked as soon as it arrived in the area.
