Kurram Agency; 2007 Sectarian Conflict and Its Aftermath

In 2007, a sectarian conflict broke out in Parachinar city, and its flame engulfed the whole region within a few months. The conflict was among two communities (Shia and Sunni) when militant organizations entered the battlefield, which added fuel to the fire. Following the 9/11 attacks, then-President Parvez Musharraf outlawed such groups in Pakistan and forced them to seek refuge in Pakistan's border areas, where the terrorist groups solidified their roots. The first conflict broke out in April and remained for a few days. In November 2007, a second conflict erupted, resulting in hundreds of casualties and the complete expulsion of the Sunni population from Parachinar. After Sunni left Parachinar, militant groups closed the Thal-Parachinar Road, the only route that connects Parachinar and Peshawar, for three years. Shias from Parachinar started traveling through Afghanistan to enter Pakistan, but that route was also risky. During these years, many agreements were signed to open the route and restore peace, but the law enforcement agencies completely failed in their implementation. The people of Kurram still do not know the real elements behind the ongoing mass murders in Kurram Agency in 2007. In 2018, Kurram Agency merged with Pakhtunkhwa in accordance with the 25th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan. The study reveals that how the 2007 conflicts in Parachinar can be linked with 9/11 and what marks it left on the people of Kurram.