A tragic incident unfolded at a Catholic school for girls in northwest Pakistan when a police officer stationed at the premises opened fire on a school bus carrying teachers and students. The attack resulted in the death of an eight-year-old girl.
The shooting occurred in the Sangota area of the Swat valley, located in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a report by AsiaNews. While the motive behind the officer’s actions remains unclear, authorities have ruled out the possibility of it being a militant attack.
An investigation by the police is currently underway to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The officer responsible for the shooting had been working at the school for three months after facing two prior suspensions from the police force for undisclosed reasons.
The tragic incident has sparked condemnation from various quarters, including Adil Ghouri, president of the Christian Awareness Movement, and other Christian activists, who are calling for the provincial government to intervene.
The Sangota Public School, established in 1962 under the supervision of the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, has long been managed by the Irish Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Originally a coeducational institution, it transitioned into an all-female school in the 1990s. In 2009, the school faced an attack by Islamic fundamentalists, but fortunately, no casualties occurred as the nuns had already evacuated the students.
Two years before the attack, the school had received a threatening letter falsely accusing the sisters of converting Muslim girls to Christianity.
After government counter-terrorism operations in 2012, the school reopened with a staff of three nuns. Today, it accommodates over 800 students, four sisters, 26 teachers, and 10 other employees.
