Pakistan: Explosion at private girls' school in North Waziristan, none hurt

KHYBER-PAKHTUNKHWA: An explosion occurred at a private girls' school in the North Waziristan tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Dawn reported while quoting police sources. The explosion was reported on Wednesday night and was triggered by unidentified militants.

According to police sources, the militants first tortured the watchman of the school and later blew up two rooms of the building. There was, however, no injury or loss of life in the explosion, Dawn reported.

Earlier, in May last year, two government schools for girls in Mirali (a town in Pakistan) witnessed similar attacks, with no casualties reported, as per Dawn.

Around 500 girls were enrolled in the two schools, Government Girls Middle School Noor Jannat and Government Girls Middle School Yunus Kot which were targeted by the attackers around midnight.

These schools were the only private girls' educational facilities in the area and had previously received multiple threat letters.

According to Dawn, locals in North Waziristan have warned of suspending power supply from Miramshah grid station if the duration of power supply to the district is not extended to six hours a day.

Local elders, following a grand Jirga held in Miram!shah on Thursday, told the media that the district is supplied electricity for only two hours a day, adding that the federal government generated thousands of megawatts of electricity from Warsak, Gomal Zam, Mohmand, Kurram Garhi and Kurram Tangi dams, but it did not supply power to these areas.

Tribal elders issued a stern warning, threatening to halt the power supply unless the duration was extended from two to six hours. They emphasized that failure to address their demands could result in blowing up power pylons.

After a similar meeting last week, elders from all tribes in North Waziristan warned of uprooting electricity infrastructure and expelling utility company's staff if their demands were not met.