Student injured in attack on school van in Swat

At least five students were injured and a person was killed in two separate firing incidents in Lower Dir and Swat on Monday.

A driver of a school van was killed and two students were injured when their vehicle came under attack by unidentified gunmen in the village of Guli Bagh within Swat district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Officials said the assailants were waiting on a motorcycle and attacked the van as it passed. They fled soon after the attack.

District officials claimed that the driver was targeted in the attack.

In the second incident, three students were injured when their school van was ‘caught in a crossfire’ as two armed groups clashed. Officials claimed that two groups were clashing with each other as the van passed through the area.

One student was critically injured and had to be shifted to Saidu Sharif Hospital, while the condition of the other two is said to be stable. The students included two boys and a girl.

Swat shootout

Yesterday, two suspected terrorists were killed in a clash with security forces at Mingora Bypass Road in the city of Swat, K-P.

Four security officials including a captain were injured in the shootout. A pedestrian was also among the injured.

According to Mingora police station chief Tariq Khan and Banr police post in-charge Anwar Khan, security forces launched an operation on a location on Mingora Bypass Road at around 4:30 am after learning about the presence of terrorists there.

There was an exchange of fire between terrorists and the army as well as Frontier Corps personnel. Two terrorists, believed to be residents of the Shangla district, were killed in the shootout.

Captain Zulfiqar, Lance Naik Naseer Iqbal, Naik Gul Sadiq and soldier Sajid were injured during the raid.

The injured were shifted to DHQ Saidu Sharif Hospital.

Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Zahid Marwat, while confirming the attack, told that the incident occurred earlier today outside the Knowledge City School in the Guli Bagh locality.

He said there were 15 students inside the vehicle at the time of the attack.

The officer told that the body and injured student have been moved to the Khwazakhela Hospital, while the child — a third grader seated in the passenger seat of the van — was now out of danger.

“A contingent of the police have reached the attack site and cordoned it off. A search operation is also underway,” he said, adding that so far no one has been arrested.

In a statement later, Marwat said that the target of today’s incident was the driver of the school van and not the children.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has taken notice of the attack and instructed the inspector-general of the province to prepare an investigation report.

He extended condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

In a tweet, MNA Mohsin Dawar said that the attack should serve as a “wake-up call for the state that appears to be losing its writ in Swat once again”.

“The people of Swat have been protesting against terrorism but their voices are being ignored. Pashtuns are being thrown to the wolves again,” the lawmaker added.

The attack on a school van in Swat should serve as a wake up call for the state that appears to be losing its writ in Swat once again. The people of Swat have been protesting against terrorism but their voices are being ignored. Pashtuns are being thrown to the wolves again.

— Mohsin Dawar (@mjdawar) October 10, 2022

Hundreds take to the streets

After the incident was reported, hundreds of students and teachers of private schools in Swat took to the streets against terrorist activities in the region.

Protesters held banners and placards bearing messages of peace as they gathered at Nishat Chowk in Mingora. They also chanted slogans demanding peace in Swat and Malakand Division.

The protesters said the law and order situation in Swat had been deteriorating for the past three months. “We know who is behind the current drama. We know why the security forces are helpless against a few so-called terrorists,” a demonstrator said.

Another protester, Zafar Shilami, said that terrorists were enemies of books, students and teachers. “But they should remember that the residents of Swat, including teachers and students, will never be subdued or scared,” he vowed.

The protesters further said that it was the state’s responsibility to ensure the security of every citizen. “However, if the state failed, we would fight a war for peace,” activist Ahmed Shah asserted.

Separately, all the teachers in Swat have vowed to initiate a campaign aimed at spreading awareness among students about the injustice and failure of the security forces. They said that all the teachers and students of Swat would now be part of every protest called by the civil society members.

Meanwhile, the Swat Private Schools Association has decided to keep schools in the district closed on Tuesday in solidarity with the victims of today’s attack.