Call for arrest of school van shooting suspect

The president of the Private Education Network (PEN) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Muhammad Saleem Khan, on Wednesday strongly condemned the recent school van shooting, calling it a brutal, cowardly, and reprehensible act.

He demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrator and that a case be registered under anti-terrorism laws.

Khan further urged the K-P, Hazara DIG, and Battagram DPO to take swift legal action.

He warned that failure to act would result in widespread protests by private educational institutions from Peshawar to Kohistan. On Tuesday morning, a masked gunman had opened indiscriminate fire on a school van in the outskirts of Battagram, in the village of Pirhadi, leaving five children severely injured.

In a special media briefing, he questioned the fault of the innocent students — referred to as "travelers in pursuit of knowledge" — who were injured in the attack. Khan said it was cruel that they were targeted due to the van driver's personal enmity.

"We strongly condemn this incident and demand the immediate arrest of the accused, along with a transparent investigation to ensure justice is served," he stated.