Two young girls were killed on Thursday morning and five others injured after unidentified men opened indiscriminate fire on a school van in the Dheri Kot area of Attock, police and rescue official said.
“Two children were killed and five children were injured when gunmen indiscriminately opened fire on a school van,” Attock police spokesman Waseem Babar told the AFP news agency. He said the gunmen had fled the scene of the rime, adding the reason appeared to be personal enmity with the family of the driver, who was also injured in the shooting.
The spokesman told the news agency that the slain girls were aged between 10 and 11.
Locals said the children were traveling to school when the attack occurred, adding the injured and deceased had been shifted to hospital. Regional Police Officer (RPO) Babar Sarfraz Alpa told journalists a case was registered against the suspects and raids were underway to arrest them.
The tragic incident has evoked condemnations from across the political divide. In a statement, President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident and said strict action must be taken against those responsible. “Targeting innocent children is a cruel and shameful act,” he said and prayed for the deceased, as well as for the speedy recovery of the injured children.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, similarly, said such attack on children was “quite a cruel and gruesome act.” Expressing solidarity with the bereaved families, he prayed for the departed souls and early recovery of the injured and directed authorities to ensure justice was ensured and the injured provided the best possible treatment.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families and prayed for the early recovery of the injured children. Stressing that anyone who targeted children did not even deserve to be called a human being, he described the attack as a “monstrosity.”
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also expressed her grief over the deaths and directed the best possible treatment for the injured. She, per a statement, has also sought a report on the incident from the Punjab Inspector General of Police.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in a statement, said his “heart was crying tears of blood” over the incident. “Those with the blood of students on their hands are beasts,” he said, as he offered support to the families of the victims and prayed for the early recovery of the injured.