8 school teachers shot dead in Pakistan's Peshawar, sectarian violence suspected

Pakistan's northwestern tribal district near the Afghan border experienced two separate targeted shootings on Thursday (04), resulting in the deaths of eight school teachers in what is believed to be a case of sectarian violence, as per police reports.

The first tragic incident involved the ambush of a school teacher named Muhammad Sharif from the Sunni Teri Mengal tribe, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen while travelling in his car on Shalozan Road in Parachinar, headquarters of the Upper Kurram tribal district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Following this attack, police said that the Teri Mengal tribesmen attacked the staffroom of Govt Teri Mengal High School in the same district, killing seven teachers from the Shia Tori tribe.

The seven school teachers lost their lives while performing exam duties.

The attackers escaped the scene and so far, no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

However, the region is known for clashes between Sunnis and Shias, so sectarian violence is a possibility. As a precautionary measure, an emergency has been declared in all health facilities in the district, and the Kohat Board exam for grades 9 and 10 has been postponed.

Syed Zahid Hussain, President of the All Kurram Teachers' Association, announced that schools in the area will remain closed until those responsible for the killing of the seven teachers are arrested.

In the aftermath of the attack, the police have launched an extensive search to capture those responsible.

This devastating incident occurred just two days after the security forces eliminated Abdul Jabar Shah, a notorious commander of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and made several critical arrests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

President Arif Alvi condemned the attack and expressed his hope that the culprits would be apprehended and punished according to the law.

Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party and former president, also denounced the incident and urged the authorities to take action against the assailants.

Separately, in the North Waziristan tribal district, the army reported that six soldiers and three terrorists were killed in a shootout between the security forces and the militants.

(PTI)