Terrorism continues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more girls’ schools destroyed by explosives

GHRTV

May 23, 2023 - 12:01

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Terrorism continues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more girls’ schools destroyed by explosives

School rubble. Oleksii Hlembotskyi/Unsplash. 2017.

22-05-2023

Charlotte Parker

Pakistan and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

Following a slew of attacks on educational institutions in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan, further schools have been the target of bomb attacks on the evening of the 21st of May, 2023.

The Government Girls Middle School Hafizabad in the Hassu Khel village was the first confirmed institution that suffered an attack. The building was reportedly damaged, although no lives were claimed in the incident. On the 22nd of May 2023, it was confirmed by police officials that another school was also attacked, in the village of Musakki. It was reported that the second affected institution was also a girls’ school and similarly to the first confirmed attack, the infrastructure of the institution had been affected with no casualties reported.

Both reported cases have now been registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Moreover, these attacks do not come as isolated incidents, as a number of terrorist attacks on educational institutions have taken place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past month. In addition to bombings, educators have been attacked with three separate shootings having claimed the lives of five teachers in armed attacks at educational facilities. These attacks were heavily condemned by political actors within Pakistan, with many pointing out the connection of such incidents with the recent rise in terrorism associated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

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