GILGIT: A girls’ school was set on fire in Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan in the early hours of Tuesday by three unknown miscreants, police officials said.

The miscreants torched the Girls Middle School, located in Darel valley, and fled the scene, according to an FIR. Photos showed the blaze left the school’s furniture completely burnt and part of its corrugated metal roof also collapsed as a result.

The Darel valley elders condemned the incident and demanded strict action against the arsonists. Hundreds of schoolgirls also poured onto the streets in Astore district and other areas to protest the incident.

GB Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid later ordered an investigation into the incident and sought a report from the police “with a commitment to take strict action against the criminals”, a government spokesperson said.

GB govt starts repairing damaged building; each school in Darel valley to be manned by three security personnel

Photos posted on Twitter by the office of GB’s chief secretary showed workers repairing the school’s building late on Tuesday night.

“The terrorists failed to intimidate the people of [Gilgit-Baltistan]. My team is working 24/7 to rebuild the burnt girls’ school in Diamer,” the office tweeted.

“This is bullet speed and the perpetrators will get a shock to see a new beautiful and highly equipped school for our daughters in the next two days. My team will make it the best in the region.”

It also said that a detailed security plan would be chalked out, under which each of the 20 schools in the Darel valley would be provided with one watchman by the education department, a Levies official and a police official.

“Team GB is proactively working with zeal and commitment to ensure that no incident like today ever happens again,” it said. “We will not let the extremists instil hatred and bigotry among the innocent children through education and only education.”

An FIR of the incident has been filed under Sections 6 (terrorist act) and 7 (punishment for a terrorist act) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, besides Pakistan Penal Code’s Sections 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy a house, etc.).

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2022