Gunmen targeted teachers, including six women and a man, working at an NGO-operated school.
The incident took place in Sher Afzal Banda area in Tehsil Chota Lahore, when unidentified gunmen targeted the teachers who had just exited the school building.
Earlier in December 2012, the office of an NGO in Muhallah Gulbahar in Swabi was destroyed when a bomb exploded near its building.
In recent months, a number of government and NGO offices as well as CD shops have been targeted by assailants in the relatively peaceful district. So far, police have been unable to arrest any culprit behind these incidents.
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1732523125-0/Express-Tribune-(7)1732523125-0-270x192.webp "atc approves physical remand of pti workers arrested during protest in islamabad")
I am very sorry and sad to read this. Allah Bless Them all.
@Gratgy: The Tlibans should go after those who fly these drones instead they are killing poor teachers and students there own brothers and sisters hence what is the guranty that the killing of poor pakistanis will stop once the US goes back think again dear.
The charity NGO was Ujala (Light). It provided education and health services for children and women of the community and the building was part clinic, part school.
Now can someone set their priorities straight and condemn and concentrate on finding out the names and affiliation of the terrorist murderers instead of making propaganda excuses for extremists, wasting everyone's time with a sick and twisted witch-hunt on good charitable educators and health workers?
http://www.newsweekpakistan.com/scope/2385
@TZ:
Its incredible that you would seek to prejudice or demonize the victims here based on your paranoid conspiracy bias and suspicious mind, rather than condemn the atrocity.
Even if they belonged to an NGO of your disliking or hate, or were engaged in 'propaganda' as delusionally accused by you, there is no justification for this inhumane un-Islamic barbarity by extremist terrorist criminals, from who you are shifting the spotlight, priority and blame, and in a sense condoning or justifying such violence.
@TZ...... 7 people were killed...... 6 women........ Do we need a reason to kill people? If WE as society can accept such violence on WOMEN than WE need to examine our existance. We live in a SICK society when we start excepting such events. We should condemn such events and start questioning OUR army, isi and the police. If they cannot secure our lives than we are DOOMED.
The Editor! Is this news not important enough to stay for a day as a headline news?
Gen Kayani, it was a bad last year and new year has started with a bad note. If you dont take action now it would a worst year in the history of the country.
@Aijaz Haider: @Sharjeel Jawaid Jawaid: Jawaid, you have asked the right question which every Pakistani needs to ask and know from the most powerful person in the country, heading third largest army in the world. Aijaz, you have made an important observation regarding lack of proper response from the military when there is an immediate requirement of launching decisive operation against Taliban who are killing innocent people on daily basis. Who else than the army can take on these barbarians and why it is not being done is difficult to understand or answered.
@vasan: The army is reluctant to act for reasons known only to General Kiyani and ISPR.
@HS: And the government keeps releasing Taliban Pakistan is the father of talibans. Pakistan Army and ISI still has deep connections with talibans and is hoping to use them to gain strategic depth in Afghanistan. All these people dying is collateral damage. Next time government begs for International AID they will count these deaths as of "war in terror".
Terrorism is a big business in Pakistan. Many people are becoming millionaires every year. Why these people would to stop of terrorism? Why Sunni Militants will stop killing Shias if some Arab is paying them lot of money to do it.
The newspapers are doing a horrendous job of covering these incidents. No real detail is provided. What we need is citizen journalism from people that are present on the scene.
@Harit: sir , the problem is that the current democratic forces have a constant threat of being thrown away. it has not been an easy five years for them as well , they had to spent most part of their term to protect it from falling off hence many issues even as important as this havent been tackled with. Along with this there still is a strong support for taliban and similar mindset and an already weak government that is constantly under threat from both its military and judiciary along with other parties cannot act without consensus. This term has been spent protecting the system , whichever govt comes next will know that they are in for five years and might actually take action. but despite constant failure of negotiations , non governmental political parties are still asking for negotiations for some reason and not a military action while they easily ask for military action in karachi. The point is that despite everything sadly we the people of pakistan havent yet made up our mind as to whether taliban are with us or against us . whether they are good or bad , as long as the majority thinks this way and i say this with a heavy heart ,we can never have corrective action , our malalas ,our polio workers and most respected teachers will keep on dying.
I have been a frequent visitor to Swabi and its surrounding locations for the past few years and one thing that i really loved about these places was that despite my impression of these places as semirural they had lots of schools there , u did not have to be a big shot to study in a school like many other rural areas, in morning u could see fresh faces of children running to catch their school bus or chinkchi rickshaw or even a horse cart, clearly people of this region are very much interested in getting quality education for their children and instead of relying on govt like rest of pakistan they have private schools to cater them in their respective means. It showed how high a priority the people of these region placed on education. Apparently taliban clearly failed to stop students from going to school son now they are targetting the teachers , my only stance is that these people are between us and we support them whenever we deny their existence and blame it on someone else while still support many of their other acts . Please stop supporting Taliban and similar mindsets!!
somebody with in provided the information to terrorist and this could be civil police ,the pushtoon brothers have to kill the snakes up in their sleeves.
its really sad because i frequently visited swabi and one thing that i really liked was that swabi and its surrounding areas had so many schools and every morning you would see kids going to school even those who did not have a huge home , not so previlidged people had their kids studying in schools showing that people really cared for education, these people first tried terrorizing students and when they couldnt achieve it now they are simply killing off teachers , after all they would be much less and easier to kill. Please stop supporting taliban and similar mindsets !!
Such acts of cowardice is the realm of Talibans alone.
Seven innocent teachers, six women and one man, have been shot dead because the Mullah Taliban wants to spread fear and death. By doing this he forgets that he is distancing and alienating himself from Islam and has joined the ranks of the 'jahilliya.' These teachers build our characters and make better citizens of us.
As it is the Taliban show open disrespect for womenfolk. Therefore, it is no surprise that they attacked and almost killed Malala and where they failed, they made up by killing seven innocent and character building humans.
These are uncouth and uncivilized sub-humans and deserve to be treated as such. If the PPP government is unable to decide, then the army can give us civilians training for one month and we will fight the sub-human species that have descended upon us for no fault of ours.
Salams and RIP seven wonderful teachers.
And the government keeps releasing Taliban
They are doing this in response to drone campaign by amreeka: Imran T. Khan
It's all because of the drones, once the drones stop, all violence will magically end
Only good taliban are Dead taliban
Sure, still blame Bangladesh for not coming to Pakistan for political reasons.
So extremists have still not pushed the govt. people, army and judiciary to a corner and there is roo, for further pushing . the only a reaction is possible.. If no strong sentiments against such cruelty spreads there is reason to bow heads down in shame.
Government has already released 8 leading Taliban militants to pacify them. Perhaps we have to release more of them to safe us as none of our law enforcing agencies has the capability to stop them.
Down with Talibans! What a start to the year, beacons of knowledge have been gunned down by the self-proclaimed torch bearers of Shariah, the pathetic Talibans!
As an Indian reader I have been visiting Tribune site. Everyday I read news of scores of civilians and forces battling at front line are being mercilessly slaughtered by armed gangs of Islamic extremists at every corner of Pakistan. Home page of this site is largely occupied by the news of ideology inspired violence of various groups operating with in Pakistan. People at the bottom of social order are the worst victims of terrorism.
But it is almost shocking to observe the deathly silence of Pakistani political class in offering any concrete plan to fight this scale of violence.
There seems to be complete reluctance to even acknowledge the gravity of situation unfolding in country.
Rather there is always an attempt to rationalize the problem and hoping that all will be well once US leave the region.
Barring few elements like ANP, Pakistani parties have fled their duty to challenge and resolve the Taliban problem. I am not suggesting that everything is collapsed in Pakistan but ruling elites of Pakistan must understand that sooner or later they will have to confront open challenge thrown by Taliban. Delay means problem will multiply and will cause much more damage when state actually starts fighting these forces of darkness
and majority still believe in the cause of these animals sadly!!!
Being a blue blooded Pukhtoon from Mohammadzai Tribe, my heart bleeds day in and day out at the merciless killings of innocent people in KPK. The ANP leadership has demanded from the federal govt to take a bold stand against the perpetrators of this genocide but their requests and demands are not heeded to by the state. Likewise, the PML(N) leadership gets offended when there is an occasional reference of TTP Punjab Chapter in the statements of Federal Interior Minister. Hats off to Altaf Bahai and MQM top brass for their bold and open stand against these murderers of humanity.
..and some of us would have us believe that our teachers, students and ordinary people will not be killed if US leaves Afghanistan. Go figure.
Even the beacons of knowledge are subject to such atrocity, shame! The Talibans are not one of us, those who confirm to their ideology must know that they are friend to none!
And they say they are representing Islam in its purest form!!! They can't be Muslims, Just sub-humans........
This is horrendous and most condemnable. The Taliban are continuing to challenge the society against education, especially female education, and have become increasingly murderous. Who else should we look at except the state to provide security to students, teachers and schools? It appears, however, that the state has lost its ability to provide security to its citizens. With each of these acts of murder and brutality, the Taliban prove to the Pakistani population that the military has lost its teeth. The military can be most brutal with the civilian population (remember Saleem Shahzad?) but it cannot provide protection to even the levies it employs to face the Taliban. Why should any tribal person in his sound mind ever offer his services to combat Taliban any more? To agree to enter into negotiations after the murder of a top political leader is a clear sign of accepting the position of strength of the Taliban. The bottom line: our goose is cooked.
General Kayani! where are you?
it is the time for army to intervene........believe me, we don't need democracy........
Repeat after me, "The only good taliban is a dead taliban"
Unbelievable
If government is releasing TTP men to create negotiation environment then why the opposite party is not?
CJ sahib, about time you took notice and ordered the government to get rid of these bigots.
Let's have talk with these terrorists, they are only reacting!!! urghhh
Now what animosity can one have with a teacher of school or college or any educational institution? This is totally condemnable in strongest of the words
CJ sahib please take notice and order government to fight these bigots.
There shouldn't be any trial for such Terrorists , just find them and kill them , it's the only option left.
The terrorists are really terrorizing pakistan. What is the army doing still ?