Deadly Pakistan shooting leaves 7 dead, including 5 teachers

In a deadly incident on Thursday linked to Sunni-Shiite sectarian tensions, five teachers and two labourers were fatally shot at a school in Pakistan’s remote border town of Tari Mangal in Kurram district, less than a kilometre from the Afghan border, police and government officials said.

Two attackers entered the school as teachers collected exam papers that had been completed earlier in the day. Before opening fire in the staffroom, the shooters identified Shiite people and separated them, said Muhammad Imran, police chief for the district.

The shooting occurred after a man belonging to the Sunni Muslim community succumbed to his injuries in hospital following an attack on his car earlier the same day, said Amir Nawaz, a senior local government official.

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While the first incident took place around 11:30 am, the second one involving the teachers occurred at 2:30 pm. Several teachers were arranging and compiling exam papers at the time, Nawaz added. Their bodies were brought out of the hospital in coffins and kept in ambulances to be carried to burial sites, an AFP journalist saw.

The Shiite-majority district has a long history of religious tensions. Police said authorities were holding discussions with both communities to bring back peace. Caution is always necessary in the district as even a minor incident can trigger conflicts, Akhtar Ali Shah, a former provincial police chief, told the AFP news agency.

About 20% of Pakistan’s population of over 220 million comprises Shiite Muslims.