Peshawar, Pakistan, July 03: A shootout among tribesmen who overindulged in cheap homemade liquor left four people dead in a remote corner of northwest Pakistan, a government official said today. The shooting late last night occurred in a bazaar in Miramshah, in the north Waziristan tribal region, Fazal Mohammed said. Drinking and the sale of alcohol is banned in Pakistan because it is forbidden under Islam. However the tribal regions of Pakistan are semiautonomous and difficult for the government to control. Smuggling is a major source of revenue for tribesmen. Poor quality alcohol is produced in the tribal regions _ despite their conservative nature _ and sold on the black market.

A group of 10 people were drinking some of the locally made wine when a brawl broke out. It degenerated into a shootout that killed four people, Mohammed said.
One of the victims, a guard, was killed in the crossfire. It was not clear what started the fighting.
Bureau Report