Pak students protest as varsity reopens

Bacha Khan University that was targeted by the terrorists last Wednesday, resulting in 22 deaths, reopened on Monday in Pakistan’s Charsadda district.

Activities at the varsity resumed, five days after the attack by militants. A condolence reference was organised at the university where students expr-essed their determination to fight terrorism and also offered special prayers for the victims. Parents of the victims, university staff and a large number of students were present. Strict security arrangements were in place. Bacha Khan University students also protested on Monday over a lack of security as authorities reopened the campus in the country’s volatile northwest.

At least 200 students gathered on the grounds of the university on Monday after the gates opened, shouting slogans against both the government and the Taliban. “You must protect us!” they shouted, while also vowing to continue their education despite the threats. No classes were held at the university on Monday, as administrators, students and teachers met to review security needs in the wake of the attack, officials told Reuters. “Some people aren’t going to the university today as they have serious concerns about the incident and their personal security and that of the students,” a teacher at the university said.

Wednesday’s attack was claimed by a faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, barely a year after a massacre at a school in Peshawar that killed more than 150 people, mostly children.