Blood feuds in KP claiming more lives than terrorism

PESHAWAR: Blood feuds are claiming more lives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa each year than terrorism, as enmities have become more violent of late.

Jirgas and bodies formed to settle disputes have failed to resolve a large number of such feuds in the rural, urban and suburban towns of Peshawar and other districts. Some of these disputes have claimed dozens of lives and there is still no end to it.

The rising gun culture and the government’s failure to control it have made these enmities even more violent. In some recent incidents in Peshawar, houses were attacked and cars were ambushed by rivals armed with sophisticated weapons.

Six people were killed when armed men opened fire on a car on Ring Road near Jamil Chowk on Saturday. The attackers continued the fire for a long time to make sure all the occupants of the car were killed. They escaped in broad daylight.

Those in the car belonged to different families and areas and were coming back after attending a wedding within the limits of Phandu Police Station.The same day, another car was attacked by the rivals on Charsadda Road that left four people injured. Also, a policewoman Tauseef and a Tiktok star Jannat were killed by armed men over petty issues on the same day.

On Monday, Yasir Hayat from Sufaid Sang was killed near the Peshawar High Court while coming for hearing. Police said the accused Ikram had an enmity with the deceased. Rivals have turned more violent recently and they kill all the people they find along with their rivals. Recently, attack on a car in Mashokhel area in Badaber claimed five lives. In the limits of the same Badaber Police Station, eight members of a family, all of them either women or children, were killed over a monetary dispute involving Rs2.3 million last year.

Besides, five people were killed and six others wounded when rivals sprayed hundreds of bullets at a vehicle in the Michni Gate Police Station limits a few months back. Each year, hundreds of people are killed in blood feuds across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as intolerance continues to grow.

Traditional jirgas and other alternative dispute resolution forums are no longer as effective as they once were. Many wanted criminals involved in these feuds remain at large, further escalating the violence.

In recent months, rival groups have even taken to social media to issue threats to enemies.In 2024, as many as 574 people were killed in shooting incidents across Peshawar in the first 11 months alone. Among them were 49 women and 11 children, while 804 others were injured. This figure is far higher than those killed in terrorist attacks.

Most of these killings stemmed from long-standing enmities, while some were triggered by minor disputes.After years of bloodshed, many citizens believe that the government, police, and society must take effective steps to end these feuds.

Some of these disputes, which began over trivial issues, have lasted for decades, claiming scores of lives, including innocent bystanders.Heavily armed groups involved in feuds not only move freely in convoys and protocol but are also engaged in criminal activities such as land grabbing and extortion. Many groups often receive backing from influential families, politicians, and other powerful individuals who use them for their own purposes.

The capital city police recently launched an action and a number of members of the land mafia were held and sent behind bars. but the action was discontinued later. Peshawar has witnessed many long-running enmities over the years.

The Saddar Division Police, a couple of years back, identified over 130 ongoing blood feuds, with armed men from both sides posing a constant threat to security. Besides Saddar, violent enmities persist in the Rural, City, Faqirabad, Warsak, and Cantt divisions of Peshawar, as well as in several other districts of KP, particularly rural areas where the gun culture is thriving.

The Badaber, Matani, Sarband, Regi, Shahpur, Bhanamari, and Rahman Baba police stations have the highest number of long-running enmities. Whenever the police take action against armed groups, the people welcome it as they want such efforts to prevent bloodshed. The police should target groups that use armed conflict as a cover for criminal activities such as land grabbing. Some of these people claim to have received threats and, under this pretext, have acquired multiple weapons licenses and permits to evade legal action.

In many areas, citizens have called for the revival of Dispute Resolution Councils (DRCs) and Public Liaison Committees. These forums often included people with vested interests, appointed by local police officers for personal gains, rendering them ineffective. These bodies need to be revived and made effective to help settle disputes instead of allowing the members to misuse these bodies.

Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed and Senior Superintendent of Police, Operations, Peshawar Masood Ahmad Bangash recently hinted at reviving and reforming DRCs to play an effective role in settling longstanding disputes.

To address the unending series of killing of hundreds of people in the name of enmities, authorities must actively involve and support respected elders in jirgas to mediate and resolve disputes, strengthen and reform DRCs to ensure transparency and effectiveness and launch a decisive crackdown on armed groups threatening law and order, regardless of their political or social influence.