Extremists have shown what frightens them most - a girl with a book: Malala

More than half of the schools attacked were girls-only

Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai, sent out a tweet condemning the burning down of 12 schools in Gilgit-Baltistan's Diamer district late on Thursday.

"The extremists have shown what frightens them most - a girl with a book." said Malala.

The attackers believed to be militants opposed to girls’ education bombed and torched one dozen schools, including an Army Public School, in various parts of Diamer district in the early hours of Friday morning, triggering road protests and blockade of the Karakoram Highway.



Most of them were girls’ schools, while at least one of the institutions had been attacked at least five times in recent years.

Local authorities said that there were no casualties as the attacks took place before dawn on Friday near Chilas. The schools were closed at the time.

Malala has always encouraged education, especially for girls, and has worked to ease conditions for them.

"We must rebuild these schools immediately, get the students back into their classrooms and show the world that every girl and boy has the right to learn," she said in the same tweet.



Police teams have begun investigating the reported areas, however, according to the SP no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.