82 killed in three days of Pakistan sectarian violence

Three days of bitter sectarian gunfights in northwestern Pakistan have killed at least 82 people and wounded 156 more, a local official said on Sunday.

"Among the deceased, 16 were Sunni, while 66 belonged to the Shia community," said a local administration official in Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Pakistan is a Sunni-majority country but Kurram district -- near the border with Afghanistan -- has a large Shiite population and the communities have clashed for decades.

The latest bout of violence began on Thursday when two separate convoys of Shiite Muslims travelling under police escort were ambushed, killing at least 43 and sparking two days of gun battles.

"Our priority today is to broker a ceasefire between both sides. Once that is achieved, we can begin addressing the underlying issues," provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi said Sunday.