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RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 4864

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PESHAWAR 000011 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  1/14/2019 
TAGS: PTER MOPS PGOV PK PHUM
SUBJECT: CEASEFIRE ENDS 2-DAY SECTARIAN BATTLE IN HANGU 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Lynne Tracy, Principal Officer, Peshawar, 
Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (a), (b), (d) 
Summary 
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¶1. (C) The district administration of Hangu, along with rival 
Sunni and Shi'a groups, signed a ceasefire agreement on January 
11, putting a tenuous end to two days of sectarian fighting that 
killed 40 and injured more than 60 according to Ghulam Qadir, 
the FATA Secretary for Law and Order.  The fighting started when 
Shi'as marched towards the Hangu bazaar for the Ashura 
procession.  Despite the ceasefire, sporadic fighting continues 
around Hangu.  The failure to prevent or effectively end clashes 
between Shi'as and Sunnis is an indicator of the current state 
of the police force and the growth of the sectarian divide. 
 
Shi'as Angered When Ashura March Stopped 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) According to Qadir, the fighting in Hangu started on 
January 9 after political authorities forbade but failed to 
prevent Shi'as from marching through Hangu bazaar in their 
Ashura mourning procession.  Shi'as predominate in about 25 
villages of upper Kohat, on the road from Kohat to Hangu.  When 
the district administration of Hangu told hundreds of these 
Shi'as that the mourners' procession would not be allowed to 
take its usual route due to a curfew, the Shi'as began to 
protest and proceeded along the route.  Fighting erupted with 
Sunnis in the area once the marchers ignored the political 
authorities and proceeded towards the bazaar.  The bazaar, 
according to Qadir, was subsequently burned and destroyed by the 
Shi'as. 
 
40 Killed; Dozens of Homes Destroyed 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (C) Groups of Sunnis and Shi'as fought in and around the 
villages surrounding Hangu for two days.  Hundreds of taliban 
militants supported Sunni groups, while members of the Turi 
tribe from bordering Kurram Agency supported Shi'a groups.  At 
least 40 were killed and dozens of homes destroyed in the 
clashes.  Qadir denied press reports that the Army, which had 
been sent to assist the police, had fired on the marchers.  He 
claimed that had the marchers been fired upon by the army when 
they first arrived in Hangu, they would have turned back and the 
wider sectarian clash would have been avoided. 
 
Peace Uncertain 
--------------- 
 
¶4. (C) The ceasefire did not convince warring sides to cease 
fighting, and sporadic violence continued on January 12 while 
helicopter gunships hovered over Hangu and heavily armed 
Pakistani troops patrolled the city's bazaar and set-up 
checkpoints.  According to Qadir the current ceasefire has 
fallen short because the elders of the both communities are 
unable to control their respective groups.  The police 
reportedly were outmanned and outgunned and took shelter when 
they were unable to deter the fighting.  This battle was not 
unexpected.  Previous years have seen clashes related to the 
processions, and Qadir predicted possible sectarian violence in 
Hangu during a meeting with post in late December. 
 
Sectarian Violence Increasing 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Sectarian violence in Hangu has claimed hundreds of lives 
in the last two years.  It has also been steadily increasing in 
Pakistan's northwest over the last several years.  Aside from 
the sectarian battles in Kurram, in 2008, at least 127 people 
were reportedly killed and 205 injured in 51 cases of sectarian 
violence across the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), 
according to press reports.   By comparison, in 2007, 26 people 
were killed and 20 injured in 23 similar incidents.  These 
numbers represent a dramatic increase from sectarian deaths in 
2003, two killed; 2004, one killed; 2005, five killed; and 2006, 
13 killed. 
 
Comment 
 
PESHAWAR 00000011  002 OF 002 
 
 
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¶6. (C) The inability of the police to prevent or effectively end 
the latest violence even with the assistance of the army is an 
indicator of the current state of the force and the recent 
growth of the sectarian divide. 
TRACY