PESHAWAR     -    At least eight persons, including six school teachers, were gunned down by unknown as­sailants, in two target­ed attacks in Parachi­nar and Upper Kurram areas of the merged tribal district Kurram, on Thursday.

Both the incidents oc­curred in the Parachi­nar area near the bor­der with Afghanistan, they said. The area is off limits to journalists and human rights ac­tivists, which makes it difficult to verify facts independently. The at­tackers are said to be still at large.

According to local police, in the first in­cident a school teach­er Muhammad Sharif was killed, while in the second violent incident five school teachers and two labourers were tar­geted in a school in Kur­ram tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Imran Mirza, the dis­trict police officer of the Kurram tribal region, told the media the Shia and Sunni tribes have a long-standing property conflict that has result­ed in dozens of clashes between them.

“On Thursday morn­ing, unidentified assail­ants murdered a teach­er of the Sunni tribe. In retaliation, armed men then entered a Govern­ment High School, Teri Mangal, and murdered six people: four teach­ers and their two assis­tants,” he said.

The act sparked ten­sion in Parachinar, which has remained a sectari­anism-prone area.

The police informed that some unidentified assailants targeted a school teacher Muham­mad Sharif when he was travelling in a car on Shalozan Road. Meanwhile, in another incident five teachers and two labourers were gunned down in a staff-room of the Tarimangal High School, located in the Upper Kurram tehsil, police added.

They deceased were identified as Mir Hussain, Jawad Hussain, Naveed Hus­sain, Jawad Ali, and Ali Hussain, while the names of two other persons were yet not confirmed, 

It was also learnt that targeted per­sons belonged to Turi-Mangal tribe of Kurram tribal district.

According to the police, all the educa­tors were staying in a school building to perform their examinations duties.

Contradictory accounts were given by regional authorities about the motive for the killings.

A statement from the provincial chief minister’s office said it involved a prop­erty dispute, but the regional commis­sioner said sectarian antagonism ap­peared to be the cause.

The local police said they were gath­ering more information as they investi­gated the incidents.

Following the incident, the district au­thorities have imposed an emergency in all the government-run hospitals in the area, and also put security on high alert in the district.

Soon after the incident, the security forces personnel reached the spot and cordoned off the surrounding areas. The administration also closed all main transport routes across the district due to security concerns.

DPO Imran told the media that mea­sures were being taken and negotiations being carried out with tribal leaders to bring the situation back to normalcy af­ter the attacks.

He said the Kohat division deputy in­spector general of police and commis­sioner had reached Parachinar after the incidents, adding that security had been beefed up and routes blocked in the areas.

The official said a probe into the inci­dents was under way.

As per the information shared by the Education Board, the matric exams are being organized by the Board of Inter­mediate and Secondary Education Ko­hat in Kurram and the remaining papers have been postponed after the incident.

President Arif Alvi and Prime Minis­ter Shehbaz Sharif have strongly con­demned the incident and expressed grief over the loss of lives in the dead­ly shooting.

In a statement, the PM condoled with the bereaved families and prayed to Al­mighty Allah for raising of ranks of the deceased in heaven. He also prayed for the early recovery of the injured and or­dered provision of all possible medical assistance to the wounded.

The prime minister sought a report of the incident from the officials con­cerned.

The president hoped that the suspect would be punished soon as per the law. He also prayed for the elevation of ranks in paradise and sympathised with the bereaved families.

Federal Minister for Overseas Pa­kistani and Human Resource Devel­opment, Sajid Hussain Turi, who be­longs to Parachinar area and elected from the district Kurram, strongly condemned the target killing of school teachers. He also said that strict le­gal action will be taken against the el­ements involved in this gruesome in­cident, and assured on part of the government that justice would be pro­vided to the bereaved families.

This tribal belt was the birthplace of the TTP, the umbrella of terrorist groups responsible for most militant violence in the country. Proximity with the tribal regions also rendered K-P vul­nerable to TTP attacks. Four days ago, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the ever-dete­riorating law and order situation in Lak­ki Marwat district of K-P.

A large number of local residents in­cluding political workers of all parties, civil society, lawyers and students par­ticipated in the protest.