Attack on school van: Owners, principals threaten to take to streets if peace not restored

BATKHELA: The Private Education Network (PEN), Batkhela chapter, on Tuesday staged a protest against the attack on a school van in Swat the previous day, urging the government to restore peace and protection to the people.

The owners and principals of private schools, holding banners and posters with slogans of their demands, gathered outside the Malakand Press Club in Batkhela in large numbers.

The protestors urged the government to provide protection to the people, including the students and staff of the private schools, and restore lasting peace in the region.

PEN senior vice-president Amjad Ali Shah, Ali Muhammad, Muhammad Zaman, Zawar Khan and others spoke on the occasion and condemned the killing of driver of a private school van and injuring the student.

They said that they staged a token strike this time but they would take to the streets if the government did not bring lasting peace in the region.

It may be mentioned that unidentified armed men on a motorcycle opened fire on a school van in Swat’s Charbagh area on Monday, killing the driver and injuring a student.

The incident had occurred outside the Knowledge City School in the Guli Bagh area. There were 15 students inside the vehicle at the time of the attack.

The Swat Private Schools Association later decided to keep schools in the district closed on Tuesday in solidarity with the victims of the attack.