ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s schools closed their doors indefinitely Wednesday, a day after bombings at an Islamabad university, amid warnings of more attacks on a wide range of targets around the country.
The recent spate of terrorist attacks in Pakistani cities has come as the army prepared for and begun a military offensive in a tribal region that is seen as a stronghold for Taliban and al Qaeda militants.
Intelligence officials warned that militants could target foreign-controlled gas stations, banks and food chains to retaliate for the government offensive.
On Wednesday, all schools, universities and student hostels were ordered closed and vacated “until appropriate security measures are taken,” said Qamar Zaman Kaira, the federal minister for information.
Many private schools in major cities had already shut this week after reports that militants would try to take students hostage to exchange for prisoners held by the security forces.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the two suicide bomb attacks on International Islamic University, which killed four students and two bombers Tuesday.
Tariq Azam, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a loose organization of Taliban factions, warned of more such attacks in a phone call to the BBC.
Tuesday’s university bombing was the seventh major militant attack in just over two weeks and the first since the launch of the military offensive in South Waziristan.
Fighting continued for the fifth day between government forces and Taliban militants in South Waziristan. Last week, around 30,000 troops launched the biggest offensive yet carried out by Pakistan to clear militants from the border region.
“The troops are facing stiff resistance and the militants are fighting for every space,” said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, the chief military spokesman. Access to the region is restricted, and reports by the military couldn’t be confirmed.
A major battle is being fought for the control of Koktai, the hometown of Hakimullah Mehsud, the chief of the main Pakistan Taliban faction. Gen. Abbas said government troops have demolished the houses of Mr. Hakimullah and Qari Hussein, the main trainer of suicide bombers for the faction.
More than 150,000 civilians have now fled the war zone, according to aid agencies.
On Wednesday, a U.S. missile strike killed three alleged militants in the North Waziristan tribal region, intelligence officials said. North Waziristan is a militant stronghold as well, but the army has cut deals with insurgents there to keep them out of the fight in neighboring South Waziristan.
Separately, Iranian officials called on Pakistan to help capture suspects in a suicide bombing in Iran Sunday that killed at least 42 people.
Iran says a Sunni rebel group entered from Pakistan to stage the attack, and has accused Pakistan’s intelligence service of backing the group. Pakistan denies the charge and said it is cooperating with Iran.
Iranian security forces have arrested some suspects, a police official said Wednesday.
This Article is taken from The Wall Street Journal.
| Share | Tweet |
More Related Education Updates
» Say no to smoking
» Promotion of linkages between universities and industry urged- » Are non-smokers smarter than smokers?
- » Trade & peace: are they linked?
- » Social norms diminishing fast
» Students urged to understand terrorism to save Pakistan- » Still closed
- » A dismal literacy rate
- » Class consciousness
- » Editorial by DAWN Academic year complexities
