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| Pakistan holds national day of mourning after Bacha Khan university massacre | Pakistan holds national day of mourning after Bacha Khan university massacre |
| (7 months later) | |
| Pakistan will observing a day of national mourning on Thursday for the 21 people killed when heavily armed gunmen stormed a university in the troubled northwest of the country. | Pakistan will observing a day of national mourning on Thursday for the 21 people killed when heavily armed gunmen stormed a university in the troubled northwest of the country. |
| Flags will fly at half-mast on all government buildings inside and outside the country, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s office said, while a prayer ceremony will be held in the capital Islamabad. | Flags will fly at half-mast on all government buildings inside and outside the country, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s office said, while a prayer ceremony will be held in the capital Islamabad. |
| Sharif has vowed a “ruthless” response to the massacre and ordered security forces to hunt down those behind Wednesday’s attack on the Bacha Khan university in Charsadda, where students were targeted with grenades and automatic weapons. | Sharif has vowed a “ruthless” response to the massacre and ordered security forces to hunt down those behind Wednesday’s attack on the Bacha Khan university in Charsadda, where students were targeted with grenades and automatic weapons. |
| The assault bore a chilling resemblance to a 2014 massacre at a school in nearby Peshawar which shocked the country and prompted an escalation of a national crackdown on extremism. | The assault bore a chilling resemblance to a 2014 massacre at a school in nearby Peshawar which shocked the country and prompted an escalation of a national crackdown on extremism. |
| Security forces killed all four gunmen in the university attack, which was claimed by a Pakistani Taliban faction but branded “un-Islamic” by the umbrella group’s leadership, who also vowed to hunt down those responsible. | Security forces killed all four gunmen in the university attack, which was claimed by a Pakistani Taliban faction but branded “un-Islamic” by the umbrella group’s leadership, who also vowed to hunt down those responsible. |
| Among those who died was assistant chemistry professor Syed Hamid Husain who was lauded for challenging the gunmen and firing at them with his pistol while his terrified students raced for cover. | Among those who died was assistant chemistry professor Syed Hamid Husain who was lauded for challenging the gunmen and firing at them with his pistol while his terrified students raced for cover. |
| The majority of victims were laid to rest late on Wednesday according to Muslim tradition, including Husain who was buried in his home village of Swabi, 80km east of Charsadda. | The majority of victims were laid to rest late on Wednesday according to Muslim tradition, including Husain who was buried in his home village of Swabi, 80km east of Charsadda. |
| “He would always help the students and he was the one who knew all their secrets because they would share all their problems with him,” 22-year-old geology student Waqar Ali told AFP. | “He would always help the students and he was the one who knew all their secrets because they would share all their problems with him,” 22-year-old geology student Waqar Ali told AFP. |
| “He was referred to by students as ‘The Protector’.” | “He was referred to by students as ‘The Protector’.” |
| The majority of the student victims died at a hostel for young men where security forces also cornered the four attackers. | The majority of the student victims died at a hostel for young men where security forces also cornered the four attackers. |
| Pools of blood and overturned furniture could be seen inside the hostel, while in a back alley outside, an old wooden plaque on the wall proclaimed: ‘Heroes die young’. | Pools of blood and overturned furniture could be seen inside the hostel, while in a back alley outside, an old wooden plaque on the wall proclaimed: ‘Heroes die young’. |
| Meanwhile the bodies of militants, bloodied and with their clothes torn, were unceremoniously dumped on the floor of a truck before being taken away from the scene. | Meanwhile the bodies of militants, bloodied and with their clothes torn, were unceremoniously dumped on the floor of a truck before being taken away from the scene. |
| The assault brought back memories of the 2014 atrocity, in which gunmen from the same Taliban faction slaughtered more than 150 people at an army-run school in nearby Peshawar. | The assault brought back memories of the 2014 atrocity, in which gunmen from the same Taliban faction slaughtered more than 150 people at an army-run school in nearby Peshawar. |
| The majority of those victims were children, and their relatives held a candlelight vigil in Peshawar late Wednesday for those slain in the latest attack. | The majority of those victims were children, and their relatives held a candlelight vigil in Peshawar late Wednesday for those slain in the latest attack. |
| The strike on the army school united Pakistanis, already scarred by a decade of assaults, in shock and outrage and prompted a government and military-led crackdown on extremism. | The strike on the army school united Pakistanis, already scarred by a decade of assaults, in shock and outrage and prompted a government and military-led crackdown on extremism. |
| Security palpably improved in 2015, which saw the least number of deaths from militant violence since the formation of the Pakistani Taliban in 2007. But critics have repeatedly warned the government is not taking long-term steps to tackle the underlying problems of extremism. | Security palpably improved in 2015, which saw the least number of deaths from militant violence since the formation of the Pakistani Taliban in 2007. But critics have repeatedly warned the government is not taking long-term steps to tackle the underlying problems of extremism. |
| “We understand their pain,” Ajun Khan, who lost his only son Asfand in the attack on the Army Public School, told AFP of the survivors of Wednesday’s assault. | “We understand their pain,” Ajun Khan, who lost his only son Asfand in the attack on the Army Public School, told AFP of the survivors of Wednesday’s assault. |
| “We are not safe, even parents do not feel safe,” he said. | “We are not safe, even parents do not feel safe,” he said. |
| The Bacha Khan attack, which Amnesty International said could be branded a war crime, earned global condemnation, including from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and from neighbouring India. | The Bacha Khan attack, which Amnesty International said could be branded a war crime, earned global condemnation, including from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and from neighbouring India. |
| “It is particularly appalling that these terrorists continue to attack educational institutions, targeting Pakistan’s future generations,” said a US State Department spokesman. | “It is particularly appalling that these terrorists continue to attack educational institutions, targeting Pakistan’s future generations,” said a US State Department spokesman. |
| Sharif said in a statement from Switzerland, where he is attending the Davos forum, that he was “personally monitoring” the situation. | Sharif said in a statement from Switzerland, where he is attending the Davos forum, that he was “personally monitoring” the situation. |
| “The countless sacrifices made by our countrymen will not go in vain Inshallah,” he said. | “The countless sacrifices made by our countrymen will not go in vain Inshallah,” he said. |
| “The entire nation is united and one against terrorism.” | “The entire nation is united and one against terrorism.” |