Thousands march against teachers’ slaughter

PARACHINAR:

Thousands of local residents on Sunday once against took to the streets against the brutal killing of eight people at a school near Pak-Afghan border in Kurram tribal district.

The protest rally started from Ziaran and culminated in Para Chinar Chowk. It was attended by a large number of people including students, members of civil society and political parties.

The participants chanted slogans and demanded arrest of those responsible for the atrocity.

Later the protesters gathered outside the press club and started a sit-in.

“The slain teachers and drivers had no enmity with anyone. The story of the land dispute is fabricated by the district administration in order to draw the attention away from this act of sectarian-motivated terror attack,” said the speakers while addressing the sit-in.

“We really condemn the false reports by the district administration in this regard. The school is located 35-km away from the district headquarters and the district administration has no idea of the ground reality,” they said, adding that no one could kill seven people inside a government high school without inviting attention in the name of land dispute.

It may be mentioned here that K-P Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan on Thursday sought report of the brutal murder of eight people including five schoolteachers in Kurram district.

He took notice of the incident and directed district administration as well as police to submit a report in this connection. The chief minister expressed his sorrow over the loss of precious human lives, saying that targeting teachers inside a government school was indeed a tragic incident.

In a press statement issued here he directed police to arrest those responsible for the heinous crime.

He observed that those who want to take law in their own hand will be punished and no one will be allowed to create law and order situation in the district.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2023.