A ceasefire was called after 82 people were killed in sectarian conflicts in Pakistan

Police regularly struggle to control violence in KurramIt was part of the semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas until it was merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018.

The ceasefire agreement came after a delegation from the provincial government met with the Shiite community on Saturday and met with the Sunni community on Sunday.

A security official in the provincial capital of Peshawar told AFP that the negotiators’ helicopter came under fire when it arrived but no one was hurt.

Provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi said early Sunday that once the ceasefire is agreed, “we can start resolving the basic issues.”

At least 16 people, three women and two children, were killed in the sectarian conflict in Kurram last month.

Earlier clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a jirga, or tribal council, called for a ceasefire.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said 79 people were killed in sectarian clashes between July and October.

Hundreds of people demonstrated against violence in Pakistan’s two largest cities, Karachi and Lahore, on Friday.