Pakistan arrests five over deadly attack on Bacha Khan university

One turning point was the Taliban attempt on the life of the schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai in 2012, transforming her into a global icon of courage and energizing other education campaigners in Pakistan.

The Charsadda police have registered a First Investigation Report (FIR) into the Wednesday’s terrorist attack at the Bacha Khan University (BKU), which left 21 dead and over 30 injured.

The army said all four gunmen were shot dead.

The Pakistani military claimed that the attack was coordinated by the terrorist groups using the Afghan soil. “If you attack us we will take revenge for the innocents”, he said in the video message, also posted online.

“He’d always help the pupils and he was the person who understood each of their secrets since they’d discuss each of their issues with him”, 22-year old geology student Waqar Ali told AFP.

Strongly condemning the attack on Bacha Khan University, the Office of the President said fight against terrorism is only possible through joint and honest cooperation.

Following the 2014 Peshawar attack, teachers in Pakistan were given permission to carry arms to work.

Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the main Taliban group in Pakistan, disowned the outfit behind the university attack, terming it “un-Islamic” and insisted the Pakistani Taliban was not behind it.

Mansoor vowed to disrupt the system and its foundation that has come from Britain and America and is human made, emphasizing on the establishment of Allah’s system and rule.

On Thursday, civilian security forces conducted a mock counter-terrorism drill at the Punjab University, which spread panic as most of the students were unaware of the drill being conducted.

Rescuers said 21 bodies had been recovered including students, guards, policemen and at least one teacher, named by media as chemistry professor Syed Hamid Husain.

Wednesday’s attack raised grim echoes of the 2014 school massacre in the nearby city of Peshawar, raising questions about whether security forces are able to protect the country’s educational institutions from extremists.

Talking about the recent attack Abdullah said, “The mastermind and the handler of the attack are usually not present at the location”.

“We are determined that the young generation of Pakistan will not bow down to the terrorists”, PSB director Akhtar Nawaz said. They are loosely allied with the Afghan Taliban who ruled most of Afghanistan until they were overthrown by U.S.-backed military action in 2001.