Twenty killed, as terror strikes KP varsity; security forces take control

CHARSADDA: Twenty people including students, teachers and security guards lost their lives while the same number sustained injuries when armed militants broke into Bacha Khan University here in Pakistan’s northwestern province, official sources confirmed.

All four terrorists who had stormed the university have been killed and the security forces have taken control of the university in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district..

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vehemently denounced the attack and announced a day of national mourning for Thursday.

The heavily armed terrorists scaled one of the boundary walls from the backside of the university with an aim to carry out an attack like the one on Army Public School, Peshawar. However, the militants faced stiff resistance from the security guards present inside the university.

The terrorists began indiscriminate firing and the guards issued immediate alert for the students to take cover and make their way out of the campus.

A large number of students and faculty members got trapped inside the classes. Many students and a professor were killed in one of the classes.

One security personnel and university’s guards were also martyred in the exchange of fire with the militants.

But, the timely action taken jointly by police, frontier corps and army prevented the terrorists from inflicting a major damage to the lives of the people. Helicopters were also used in the operation.

The commandoes of Pak army made their way into the university and it took them not too long to track down the militants one after another. Two terrorists were killed inside one of the university’s buildings while two others were taken out on the rooftops.

Later, the Pak army commandos started clearing the facility by combing one block after another and took control of all the buildings of the campus.

All four terrorists, who were clad in Shalwar Kameez like students, were killed in the operation. They all wore beards while two of them are said to be under 20 years of age and two others fell in the age bracket of 20-25.

University professor Hamid Hussain was martyred in the attack.

Those students who succeeded in making their way out of the university said the terrorists wearing suicide vests were speaking Pashto language.

The injured, some of them critically, were shifted to District Headqaurters Hospital, Charsadda. Some were also taken to Lady Reading Hospital.

Federal Minister for Defence said the operation was being supervised by Corps Commander Peshawar, Lt Gen Hidayat-ur-Rehman himself.

It may also be noted that the university had organized a Mushaira to mark the 28th death anniversary of Bacha Khan after whom the university is named. The guests who were invited to attend/ participate in the Mushaira were inside the campus when the terrorists struck.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif also visited the targeted university and spoke to the people. He was also given a briefing on the attack and the consequent operation to neutralize the threat.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman, Imran Khan also visited the university. Speaking to the media persons, he said, the civil and military leadership are on one page in the fight against terrorism.

He said the entire nation stands together following the attack on Army Public School.

Imran Khan said the terrorists are now resorting to hit soft targets. “I salute the valiant people of Charsadda who came out to fight the terrorists,” he added.

He said Nazim Charsadda and PTI president had also come out with guns.