Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09PESHAWAR11
2009-01-14 10:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Peshawar
Cable title:
CEASEFIRE ENDS 2-DAY SECTARIAN BATTLE IN HANGU
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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
-------
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
--------------
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
--------------
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
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
--------------
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
--------------
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