The bus was stopped in Mansehra District and the people were killed after checking their identification cards which showed they were from the Shia community by individuals dressed in Military uniforms.
[2][3][4] Darra Adam Khel faction of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has claimed the responsibility for the attack.
[6][7] The sectarian violence incidents happened after the radical Islamisation policies of former military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq.
On a section of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), in Mansehra District (an area dominated by Sunni tribes), 10 to 12 gunmen in military uniform flagged the buses for stopping.
[1][5][10] The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon termed the massacre as "appalling".