School van shooting leaves two pupils dead, five injured

Driven by enmity with driver, assailants attacked van en route to school

ATTOCK:

Two female students were killed while five others and a driver suffered multiple wounds after unknown assailants opened indiscriminate fire on a school van in Dheri Kot village close to Kala Chitta Pahar on Thursday, witnesses and police said.

The brutal shooting took place in the limits of Model police limits owing to a personal enmity involving the van driver. The Punjab Chief Minister took strict notice of the incident and sought a report from the police authorities.

Police investigations showed that van driver Afzal Arif of Dheri Kot was taking boys and girls to Malik Anwarul Haq Memorial School when his opponents approached the van and opened an indiscriminate fire. The firing left nine-year-old Ramin Shafiq, daughter of Muhammad Shafiq, and 10-year-old Urwa Fatima, daughter of Jamshed, dead on the spot.

Among the injured were eight-year-old Mohib Ali, son of Ishtiaq Ahmed, seven-year-old Samira, daughter of Karam Din, eight-year-old Shazaf, son of Shafiq Ahmed, 12-year-old Haseeb Ali, son of Saeed Akhtar, four-year-old Shazam, son of Shabir and 48-year-old driver Afzal.

Suspects Nasir, Naeem and their accomplices managed to escape from the spot. Teams of Rescue 1122 and police immediately reached the spot and shifted the bodies and injured to District Headquarters Hospital Attock.

A heavy police contingent led by the District Police Officer (DPO) reached the spot and carried out investigation work. Talking to the media, the DPO said that the police were collecting evidence and would fulfil all the legal requirements. He told reporters that he was personally monitoring the entire case on the strict notice of the CM, the IGP and other senior officials, assuring the accused would be arrested within 24 to 48 hours as police teams had been constituted.

"Azeem Khan's accomplices came to kill me. I moved to a side during the indiscriminate fire. This is an open terrorism," injured Afzal told reporters at the hospital.

Governor of Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan and others reached the hospital to inquire after the injured children.

They directed the hospital administration to provide all possible medical assistance and treatment.

CM Maryam Nawaz, taking strict notice of the incident, sought a report from the the Rawalpindi Division Commissioner.