Dozens killed in Pakistan sectarian violence

The violence comes less than two months after funeral for victims from previous unrest

More than 80 people have been killed in renewed sectarian violence in north-west Pakistan, officials say.

Another 156 are said to have been wounded in three days of fighting in the tribal district of Kurram, near the Afghan border.

The violence began on Thursday, when gunmen attacked convoys of Shia Muslims travelling through the area under police escort. More than 40 died in that incident, which triggered revenge attacks.

Shia and Sunni Muslims have engaged in tribal and sectarian rivalries over land disputes for decades.

On Sunday a local administration official told AFP news agency: "The clashes and convoy attacks on November 21, 22, and 23 have resulted in 82 fatalities and 156 injuries."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said that 16 of the dead were Sunni and 66 belonged to the Shia community.

Those killed in Thursday's attacks on convoys included women and children. Passenger Saeeda Bano described to BBC Urdu how she feared she would be killed as she hid under the car seats with her children.

Hundreds of residents fled amid escalating violence Friday and on Saturday.

A resident of a Sunni village said members of his family have fled to safety while he stays behind. “We’ve been hearing gunfire all night. I sent the women and children of my family to hide in the mountains," the man said.

"You see how cold the weather is now. But I have no other option. Everyone else here is doing the same," he added.

It comes after dozens of people died in attacks over the past few months, prompting calls for a ceasefire from a tribal council.

On Saturday provincial officials began talks with both Shia and Sunni community leaders, AFP reported.

A security official in the provincial capital Peshawar told AFP that the negotiators' helicopter had come under fire as it arrived in the region.