13 girls' schools attacked in Gilgit-Baltistan

[Arham_PakFan]

CHILAS: Thirteen girls' schools were attacked in Chilas, about 130 kilometres from Gilgit late Thursday night, police sources told Geo News.

Unidentified men attacked 13 girls' schools across Diamer district and damaged school property, police sources said.

The attackers also torched some items in the schools, the sources continued.

"Explosions were also set off in two schools," they said.

Police have started a search operation in the area.

According to the district administration, the schools that were attacked were under-construction.

Officials added that they will ensure adequate measures are taken to safeguard schools and students.

Girls's schools are often the target of attack in the northern areas of Pakistan.

In December 2011, at least two girls' schools were partially damaged in low-intensity explosions in Chilas.

Earlier that year, unidentified assailants had also blown up two girls' schools.

The year 2004 also saw a string of attacks on girls' schools in Chilas. Nine schools of which eight were girls' schools were attacked and destroyed in five days in the area in February 2004.

Terrorists used to frequently bomb educational institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) before the launch of military operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan Agency in June 2014.

Earlier in May, two schools for girls were hit by bomb explosions in Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan Agency.

According to a report, about 1,500 schools have been destroyed in the tribal belt during the last 10 years.

Nobel Prize winner and education activist Malala Yousafzai was also shot by the Taliban in 2012 for advocating the education of girls in Swat.

In 2017, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its report stated that attacks by the Taliban and other militant groups disrupted the education of hundreds of thousands of children, particularly girls, in Pakistan.

The 71-page report, “Dreams Turned into Nightmares: Attacks on Students, Teachers, and Schools in Pakistan,” based on 48 interviews with teachers, students, parents, and school administrators in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), urged the Pakistan government to take measures to make schools safe for students.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/205919-13-girls-schools-attacked-in-g-b

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Another attack on education centres by extremists.Horrible.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shocking & condemnable torching of schools in GB, more than half of them girls' schools.This is unacceptable & we will ensure security for schools as we are committed to focusing on education, esp girls' education which is integral to Naya Pakistan. <a href="https://t.co/lSlQDjSkeS">https://t.co/lSlQDjSkeS</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1025403067867516934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

First tweet since the 25th.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The extremists have shown what frightens them most - a girl with a book. <br><br>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. <a href="https://t.co/99J7ZivafC">https://t.co/99J7ZivafC</a></p>— Malala (@Malala) <a href="https://twitter.com/Malala/status/1025388223810494466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[PakLFC]

These extremists want to take us back to the stone age. Military has to kill them all.

 

[blackanhyellow]

These extremists want to take us back to the stone age. Military has to kill them all.

If killing was a solution, this would have been solved a long time ago.

Its the ideology they have to go after.

Even if you kill 10 terrorists, the extremist madrassah that is teaching hate and violence will produce 100 more.

 

[PakLFC]

If killing was a solution, this would have been solved a long time ago.

Its the ideology they have to go after.

Even if you kill 10 terrorists, the extremist madrassah that is teaching hate and violence will produce 100 more.

Killing them is the only solution. Trying to talk them out of terrorism will never work.

 

[TM Riddle]

Killing them is the only solution. Trying to talk them out of terrorism will never work.

No it isn't. Like Blackyellow said it's the ideology which is the root problem.
You kill 5 today and 10 would be ready tomorrow to take their place.
Killing is never a solution.

 

[UP]

If killing was a solution, this would have been solved a long time ago.

Its the ideology they have to go after.

Even if you kill 10 terrorists, the extremist madrassah that is teaching hate and violence will produce 100 more.

Agreed.

All these madrassah’s need to be regulated and every molvi should be licensed.

 

[Madplayer]

Agreed.

All these madrassah’s need to be regulated and every molvi should be licensed.

This is the only way. Every molvi should be licensed, should possess a diploma or a degree from a recognised institution in order to teach or preach. A database of these religious preachers should be created where records are maintained. A tracking mechanism with a clear cut appraisal system of merit and demerit points for these molvis should be created. If a molvi recieves a certain number of demerit points, he should be barred from preaching. These reforms must be brought in slowly and steadily because if they are forced at once, these preachers have enough idiots who would die for them.

 

[Abdullah719]

CJP takes suo motu of Gilgit-Baltistan school attacks

The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday took suo motu noticeof the attack on 12 schools in Diamer, Gilgit-Baltistan.

The schools were set ablaze and bombed using explosives. The CJP also noticed that most of them were girls’ schools. Justice Nisar has also sought a report from the government, the secretary of Azaad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs, and from the interior secretary within the next 48 hours.

Unidentified individuals destroyed and torched 12 schools late Thursday night in Diamer’s Tanger tehsil, Darel and Chilas. The targeted schools included two run by the Pakistan Army. Reports suggest that at least six were all-girls institutions in Chilas.

The schools attacked include Royini Girls School, Takya Girls School, one school each in Hodur and Thor neighbourhoods and three all-girl schools in Darel division, Giyal village and Khanbanri. Another two schools were torched in Gali Bala and Gali Payen.

After launching an inquiry into the incident, the local law-enforcement forces initiated a search operation. IG Gilgit Baltistan Sanaullah Abbasi and Force Commander of Northern Areas Major-General Saqib Mehmood also reached Chilas following the incident.

UNICEF Pakistan condemns incident

In a series of tweets, UNICEF Pakistan condemned the incident and lauded the government’s notice of the incident. “Attacks on schools rob children of their basic right to education and have a devastating impact on their lives,” the tweet said.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1773189/1-cjp-takes-suo-motu-attacks-schools-gilgit-baltistan/

 

[DeadBall]

CJP says burning schools in Diamer was a 'conspiracy' against his dams initiative

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday said that while his initiative to collect funds to build the Diamer-Bhasha dam had garnered immense support in the country, it had also fallen victim to "opposition".

During his address to the Multan Bar Council, Justice Nisar implied that Thursday night's incident when about a dozen educational institutions were burned down by miscreants in Gilgit-Baltistan's Diamer district was an act of opposition to his initiative to collect funds for the dam.

"Diamer is such a peaceful place. I went to Gilgit-Baltistan a few days ago and was told by sessions judges and locals that it has been years since there has been a robbery or murder in the area," he told members of the Council. "But as soon as we started talking about building a dam [there], 12 educational institutions were torched."

"Who is conspiring against Pakistan? We should think about this. I don't want to level irresponsible allegations against anyone but I am leaving it as a matter of thought for you people. For the past 60 years, no dam has been built and now that we are trying to build one, there are conspiracies against it.

"But you people are the protectors; the people of Pakistan will get this implemented!" he said, amidst chants of "chief teray jaan nisar, beshumar beshumar!" [you have countless supporters, chief!] He urged people to participate and support the construction of dams.

"[Building] this dam is unavoidable now. It is vital for the survival of the country," he asserted, and urged people to "quash any conspiracy" that might hinder the construction of the dams.

He also clarified that the Supreme Court had not ruled out the Kalabagh Dam; instead, the court has said that it should be built after all provinces reach a consensus over it. He added that the dams that are free of controversy and are not being opposed by anyone will be built first.

Last month, the CJP had announced that the top court will not interfere in the controversial issue of Kalabagh dam and was exploring alternative options to overcome the water crisis. If there is no consensus among the provinces over the Kalabagh dam, other measures must be taken to tackle water scarcity, he had said.

 

[AssassinatedDevil]

Another girls school torched in Diamer

GILGIT: While urgent measures had been taken by the security administration in Northern Areas to protect educational institutions and trace culprits behind orchestrated attacks on schools in Gilgit-Baltistan, another girls’ school was destroyed in a brazen arson attack in Diamer district on Saturday hours before a police official was killed in an exchange of fire with armed suspects.

In the exchange of fire with armed men during a late-night raid on a house in Tanger tehsil of Diamer, a policeman was killed and another was wou*nded, police confirmed to Dawn. They said constable Arif Hussain was killed and another constable, Karamat, suffered wounds during the gun battle leading to the arrest of two suspects, Ibadur Reh*man and Saeedur Rehman.

As the number of schools torched in the district over the past two days increased to 14, Chief Justice of ******tan Mian Saqib Nisar took suo motu notice of the incidents and directed the interior secretary and the secretary for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan to submit their reports within the next two days.

The latest attack was carried out on a government girls’ school in Darel tehsil of Diamer where forces against girls’ education had repeatedly attacked government and private schools in the past. Most of the girls’ schools had been targeted in Chilas, Darel and Tanger tehsils of Diamer district.

So far 18 suspects have been arrested with six FIRs registered at different police stations, while sources privy to a meeting of ministers, civil administration officials, law enforcement and intelligence agencies and locals said a list of 20 suspects was handed over to a local jirga with the demand for their immediate surrender. The meeting also decided to extend the operation against extremists across the district.

Meanwhile, police continued raids in different areas to arrest the suspected attackers.

While briefing caretaker prime minister retired Jus*tice Nasirul Mulk on progress in investigation into the incidents, Gilgit-Baltis*tan Chief Minister Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman said that all-out efforts were being made to identify and arrest the culprits, according to APP.

The chief minister also directed the authorities concerned to restore the destroyed schools and made them functional within the next 15 days. The demand was also made by Malala Yousufzai, the youngest Nobel Prize laureate and girls’ education activist.

Being a victim of a terrorist attack herself, Malala tweeted: “The extremists have shown what frightens them most — a girl with a book. 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.”

To formulate a mechanism to trace the culprits, a meeting of GB ministers from Diamer including Haji Janbaz Khan, Haidar Khan, Imran Wakeel, home secretary Jawad Akram, IG police Sanaullah Abbasi, government spokesman Faizullah Faraq, district administration, intelligence and law enforcement agencies officials and elders of the district was held in Chilas.

Mr Faraq told Dawn that the meeting had decided to extend the ongoing search operation against suspects as local people assured the administration of their complete cooperation with police.

At the meeting, the sources said, the names of 20 suspects had been given to the local jirga with the demand for their immediate surrender.

The police later submitted to the chief minister an initial report linking the latest episode with the past attacks on girls’ schools in the area. The report stated the incident was the continuation of the past incidents in which girls’ schools had been attacked with an objective to bar them from getting education.

Talking to the media after visiting the affected schools on Saturday, GB Chief Secretary Babar Hayat Tarar said a grand operation was being launched in the district to arrest the attackers. On the occasion, he also appealed to local people to cooperate with police to identify militants.

However, local journalists faced difficulties to get updates and details of the incidents. They said officials of the area administration kept their phones switched off and avoided to hold any press briefings about the series of attacks.

In 2004, half a dozen girls’ schools had been torched in one go. Girls’ schools were also targeted by extremist forces in 2011 and 2015.

Some traditions and extremism are main reasons for local resistance to female education in the district, which has the lowest literacy rate in Gilgit-Baltistan.

According to Alif Ailaan’s Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017, GB received a score of 63.18, getting fourth position in the list of eight Pakistan territories with respect to quality of education. However, Diamer is the lowest-ranking district in terms of quality of education, with a score of 36.37, and among the 10 lowest-ranking districts in Pakistan.

There are 244 government schools in the district, about 83 per cent of which are primary level, 10.6pc middle schools and 6pc high schools. There are no higher secondary schools in the district. Of the government schools, 156 are for boys and 88 are for girls, according to Alif Ailaan.

Of the 16,800 students enrolled in government schools, only 20pc or 3,479 are girls.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1425025/another-girls-school-torched-in-diamer

 

[PakLFC]

No it isn't. Like Blackyellow said it's the ideology which is the root problem.
You kill 5 today and 10 would be ready tomorrow to take their place.
Killing is never a solution.

There ideology isn't gonna die no matter how much you try to humanise them. You can try preaching to them whilst they keep spilling blood of innocents. Reason terrorism has reduced in Pak is because the military has killed them through zarb-e-azb and rah-e-nijaat type operations.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

DIAMER: Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) claimed to have identified one of the 36 suspected militants arrested for their alleged involvement in the burning down of schools in Diamer District of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).

According to sources, two suspects and a police constable were killed in the shootout between the ‘militants’ and security officials during the Saturday morning’s operation in Tangir area. One of the suspect has been identified as Shafiqur Rehman aka Commander Shafiq.

A suicide jacket, grenades and weapons have been recovered from the militant hideouts during the on-going search operation.

The operation came after unidentified attackers believed to be militants opposed to girls’ education bombed and torched a dozen schools, including an Army Public School, in various parts of Diamer district on August 2, triggering road protests and blockade of the Karakoram Highway. Most of the schools were all-girls while at least one of the institutions had been attacked at least five times in recent years.

IG G-B Sanaullah Abbasi told media that the accused were local people but trained in Afghanistan. He added that the counter-operation was centred around Darail village in Diamer. An official privy to details had revealed that the ‘militants’ were part of a wider nexus associated with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Educational institutes across the country have frequently come under attack by the militants. Earlier this year, an under-construction school was razed to the ground in Khyber District when bombs planted by militants exploded near it.

An official of the political administration in the ex-Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) told The Express Tribune that the school, located in Sawa area of the Tirah Valley of Bara Sub-division, was being built keeping in view the repatriation of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Condemnations

The attack on educational institutes has been condemned by prominent personalities including prime minister-in-waiting Imran Khan.
“Shocking & condemnable torching of schools in GB, more than half of them girls’ schools.This is unacceptable & we will ensure security for schools as we are committed to focusing on education, esp girls’ education which is integral to Naya Pakistan,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Jusitce Mian Saqib Nisar has taken suo motu notice of the attack after linking it to his call for building more dams and said it (the initiative) had fallen victim to ‘opposition’. “The schools are burnt in Gilgit-Baltistan in response to raising our voice for the construction of dams,” the chief justice said while addressing the Multan Bar Council.

CJP smells conspiracy in G-B schools attack

Chairman of the Senate Committee for Interior Affairs Rehman Malik had sought a report from Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan and demanded LEAs to arrest those responsible at the earliest.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala also condemned the incident on Twitter. “The extremists have shown what frightens them most – a girl with a book. 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 wrote.

“Strongly condemn the burning down of 12 girls schools in #ChilasTerroristAttack,” said Leader of the Opposition in Senate Sherry Rehman. “All of Pakistan is united against such heinous targeting of our schools and must give a strong message of Zero tolerance for such attacks by immediate action against the militants who did this.”

https://tribune.com.pk/story/177380...t-involved-diamer-schools-burning-identified/

 

[Abdullah719]

'High-profile Afghan-trained suspect' allegedly involved in Diamer school attacks: police report

Police in Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday said that a 'militant commander' suspected of involvement in the Diamer school attacks, who was killed during a search operation earlier this week, was a "high-profile Afghan-trained suspect".

Diamer Superintendent Police (SP) Rai Ajmal in a report submitted to the Diamer deputy inspector general (DIG) of police said that the suspect, Commander Shafiur Rehman, was killed in an exchange of fire with police.

"On noticing the police raiding team, the accused opened indiscriminatory firing that resulted in the martyrdom of Constable Arif Hussain, while Head Constable Karamat Ali sustained bullet injuries," the report said.

In response to the incident, police cordoned off the entire area and started a search operation, the SP said.

Three suspects identified as Fidaur Rehman, Faizur Rehman and Saeedur Rehman allegedly involved in the attack were arrested, whereas Commander Shafi was killed during an exchange of fire, according to the SP's report.

A criminal case was registered against Shaifur Rehman, Saeedur Rehman, Fidaur Rehman, Ziaur Rehman, Basil, Nasirullah, Sher Khan and Muhammad Nasir, the report said, adding that efforts are underway for the arrests of the remaining five suspects.

The report also said that "unknown terrorists" had opened fire at the Darel police station at 2am on Saturday night, to which "police effectively retaliated... in a courageous manner".

A case was registered against this incident, as well as against the blocking of a road and firing at passersby by miscreants in Darel's Phuguch area

"At present, operations/targeted raids are being conducted in Darel and Tanger subdivisions of the district and it will be further investigated in coordination with other LEAs," the SP said.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1425962/h...volved-in-diamer-school-attacks-police-report