Pakistan: 38 Killed in Attacks on Passenger Buses

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, said that at least 38 people were killed, and 29 others were injured when gunmen opened fire on passenger buses on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Chaudhry added that a woman and a child were among those killed in the attack, which took place in the Kurram tribal district in northwestern Pakistan.

He added, “It is a major tragedy, and the death toll is likely to rise. Tensions between Shias and Sunnis have persisted for decades over land disputes in the tribal areas adjacent to Afghanistan.” No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Ziarat Hussain, a resident of Parachinar, told Reuters over the phone, “There were two convoys of passenger buses, one transporting passengers from Peshawar to Parachinar and the other from Parachinar to Peshawar, when gunmen opened fire on them.”

He added that “relatives of mine were in the convoy traveling from Peshawar.”

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the attack in a statement.