Following Taliban attack, Pakistan says will arm teachers to ‘engage terrorists’
Islamabad: In the aftermath of Peshawar school tragedy where 150 people were killed including 134 children, teachers reportedly will now be allowed to carry guns to ‘engage terrorists’.
According to reports, officials in Peshawar said this move would allow teachers to engage terrorists 'for an initial 5 to 10 minutes' before the military forces arrive.
The decision was taken following an attack by Pakistani Taliban militants in Army Public School in Peshawar that claimed the lives of 134 innocent children on December 16, 2014.
Bloodied floor in the ceremony hall where many children were gunned down. (Photo: AFP)
However, the move has been opposed by teachers, saying their job is to educate, not to provide security.
The critics have warned that this move could put children at greater risk and also affect teachers' performance at work.
The attack was Pakistan's bloodiest massacre in years. The schools educate the children of both officers and non-commissioned soldiers and Army wives often teach in them.
A girl's shoe lies on the floor in the bloodied ceremony hall where many students were killed. (Photo: AFP)
TTP spokesman Muhammad Khorasani had said the attack was carried out to avenge Taliban fighters and their families killed in the army's offensive against militant strongholds in North Waziristan.
"We are doing this because we want them to feel the pain of how terrible it is when your loved ones are killed," he said. "We are taking this step so that their families should mourn as ours are mourning."
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had described the attack as a "national tragedy unleashed by savages". "These were my children. This is my loss. This is the nation's loss," he said.
The semi-autonomous tribal areas that border Afghanistan have for years been a hideout for Islamist militants of all stripes -- including Al-Qaeda and the homegrown TTP as well as foreign fighters such as Uzbeks and Uighurs.
Watch: Eyewitness of Peshawar school attack
