Eight killed in clash between two ethnic groups in Pakistan’s Sindh province
Pakistan police have said that an armed clash between two groups of the Chandio ethnic community in Dadu district of Sindh province has left eight people dead and two others injured.
The Dawn newspaper reported that the incident took place on Sunday morning, when both sides exchanged heavy gunfire after the attack began. According to Mir Sadaam, a senior police official in Dadu, the clash started when people affiliated with Ali Akbar Chandio attacked the rival group.
Police said a long-standing feud, a dispute over the use of a shared route and some land-related conflicts were among the main causes of the violence. Tariq Darejo, deputy inspector general of police in Hyderabad, confirmed the incident and said that among those killed, two were from the Sikandar Chandio group and six were from the Ali Akbar Chandio group.
Police officials said several clashes had also taken place between the two groups over the past three years, in which four people were killed and nine others injured. Police also said previous efforts to reconcile the two sides had failed.
The source added that police have arrested several people after the incident and recovered some weapons. Police forces have also been deployed in the area to prevent the violence from spreading.
Sindh province is located in southern Pakistan, and Dadu district is one of its areas where local and family disputes have at times escalated into armed clashes.
