A FULL investigation is in order to identify and punish the culprits involved in Thursday’s ghastly attack targeting a school van in Punjab’s Attock district. At least two minor girl students were killed, while several other children and an adult were reportedly hurt. Local police officials have said “personal enmity” was behind the attack, as the suspects were apparently trying to target the driver of the vehicle, who survived. However, a fuller probe is essential to determine the facts. In case a link to militancy is established, the authorities need to act accordingly and ramp up the state’s defences before more innocent people pay with their lives. There have been several incidents in the recent past where school vans and educational institutions have been targeted. In 2023, a student was killed in a shooting incident in Swat while in 2022, the driver of a school van was killed, also in Swat. Of course, the massacre at Peshawar’s Army Public School has been etched in the national consciousness, as has the attack on Malala Yousafzai.

Attock itself has not reported any major militant activity within its boundaries, while the parts of KP it borders have also largely remained safe from terrorist attacks. However, nearby Mianwali district has witnessed several major militancy-related incidents over the past few years. If indeed personal vendetta was the reason behind the crime, those involved should be brought to justice without delay. Innocent children should not become collateral damage in such barbaric episodes of violence, and those involved must be given exemplary punishment. And if a link to militancy is established, alarm bells should start ringing within the corridors of power. This would mean that the terrorists are moving beyond their regular stomping grounds in parts of KP, particularly its tribal districts, and are feeling confident enough to strike deeper into Punjab. Indeed, only a full investigation can establish the facts of the matter. Regardless of the motives, both state and society need to do much more to protect children from the various forms of violence they are subjected to in this country. Educational institutions, as well as transport to and from school, particularly need to be safe spaces free of violence where children can learn without fear. A country that cannot protect its most vulnerable will surely face a bleak, unenviable future.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2024