Four injured in clash over Waziristan site believed to hold gold deposits

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Four people were injured after members of two sub-clans of the Mehsud tribe clashed in Kaniguram tehsil on Saturday over the ownership of an area believed to contain gold deposits, according to witnesses and police.

Witnesses said the confrontation involved the Malakshahai and Nazarkhel sub-clans. Tensions rose as both sides laid claim to the site, which was said to be a potential location of gold reserves.

The dispute led to a heated exchange before the two groups attacked each other with daggers and stones, the witnesses said.

Police sources said four people were wounded in the violence. Two of the injured were identified as Gulbadin Mehsud and Firdous Mehsud.

The injured were first taken to a nearby health facility in Kaniguram. They were later referred to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana for further treatment.

Upper South Waziristan District Police Officer Arshad Khan said police teams from Ladha and Makeen were dispatched to the area, along with additional personnel from the Kaniguram post, to bring the situation under control.

He said the situation was contained and police were deployed in the area to stop the violence from spreading further.

The district police officer also said legal proceedings had been started against both groups involved in the clash.

Police said an investigation had been launched to determine who was responsible for the disturbance. Both parties were called to the Ladha police station as part of the inquiry.

Meanwhile, tribal elders stepped in in an effort to settle the dispute.

Ownership dispute triggers violence

The clash took place against the backdrop of competing claims over a site in Kaniguram tehsil that is believed to hold gold deposits. According to witnesses, the disagreement over ownership escalated rapidly from verbal confrontation into physical violence.

Officials said police moved to prevent any further deterioration in the law and order situation after the incident. The deployment of personnel from multiple nearby areas was aimed at restoring calm and preventing the dispute from widening.

Authorities have not announced any final determination regarding ownership of the site. For now, police have initiated legal action and begun an investigation, while local elders are attempting to defuse tensions between the two sides.