Violence in blood feuds increases in KP

PESHAWAR: Increase in violence due to blood feuds in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can be gauged by the fact that 47 people have lost lives in clashes only in the provincial capital during the last two weeks.

As many as 39 clashes were reported in Peshawar since June 21. Most of these incidents happened due to disputes over property, followed by honour, money and ego. “Only in a day, 13 people lost lives in separate clashes between rival families. The violence continued throughout the fortnight after which police started making efforts to settle disputes and reduce violence,” a source said, adding a large number of people were also wounded in these clashes.

After the increase in violent incidents, police across KP have been tasked to document all the blood feuds in respective areas and involve the dispute resolution councils (DRCs) as well as local elders to settle rivalries before it results in a law and order situation.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Moazzam Jah Ansari issued circular to all the regional and district police officers to identify and document the blood feuds in their respective areas.

They have also been ordered to suggest solutions and involve the DRCs as well as local elders to settle the enmities before they create law and order situation. “The RPOs, DPOs and the relevant police stations have already started compiling lists of enmities that have claimed lives or can be a potential threat to law and order situation,” said a source.

Police officers have also been directed not to let anyone of the rival groups brandish weapons in public to harass the general public or use it for any criminal activity. There have been hundreds of blood feuds across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that claim lives daily from one or the other sides. A number of passers-by and innocent people also lose lives when caught in the exchange of fire by the rival groups.

The decades-old blood feuds in the rural areas of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claim hundreds of lives every year. There have been a number of blood feuds in Peshawar and other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that started years ago over petty issues and have claimed scores of lives from both sides thus far. Some of the groups involved in these feuds are also promoting gun culture and terrorizing the common people by brandishing arms in public.

There are reports that some of these groups, which are heavily armed, are actively involved in criminal activities, land grabbing and white-collar crimes. Some of the blood feuds have resulted in the death of almost all the male members in a family, leaving only women and children with nobody to feed them.