Pakistani police authorities on Thursday, 22 August, 2024 confirmed that gunmen opened fire on a school bus, killing two girls and injuring five other children.
Police official, Usman Haider, said the attack occurred in the town of Attock in the central province of Punjab when the children were travelling to attend classes in the morning, adding that all of the dead and wounded children were aged between five and 10.
According to him, the motive of the crime was not immediately known, but the preliminary investigation pointed towards a feud between two families.
“We are also looking into the possibility of terrorism,” Haider said.
Meanwhile, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, condemned the incident, ordering police to capture the gunmen.
Islamist militants have attacked students at schools, colleges, and universities in the past.
Recall that Taliban gunmen killed nearly 150 children in a gruesome attack at a military-run school in north-western Pakistan in 2014.