ISLAMABAD – Militants in Pakistan’s volatile Waziristan region have escalated attacks on educational institutions just days before the end of 2025.

On Thursday, unidentified assailants detonated explosives at the Government Primary School in the Khushhali area of Ayaz Kot village in North Waziristan. According to reports, the attack obliterated much of the building and left more than 600 students without a classroom.

No group has claimed responsibility so far.

The attack follows a broader pattern of violence in the former tribal district, where armed groups have targeted schools amid a rise in terror attacks.

In December of last year, the United Nations special rapporteurs wrote a letter to the government of Pakistan, voicing their concerns over militant assaults on girls’ schools in the country.

In the letter, Farida Shaheed, special rapporteur on the right to education; Reem Alsalem, special rapporteur on violence against women and girls; and Laura Nyirinkindi, chair-rapporteur of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, called on the government of Pakistan to protect the fundamental right of women and girls to receive a safe and secure education.

“We are troubled by the persistent terrorist attacks targeting girls’ schools by groups opposing the education of women and girls. While all attacks on schools are reprehensible, those specifically aimed at girls’ institutions discourage women and girls from pursuing education, thereby reinforcing discrimination and societal inequalities,” the letter read.

Further, they requested information from the government regarding the investigations and actions being taken to safeguard girls’ schools in Waziristan.

Militants have bombed or burned girls’ schools in both North and South Waziristan, often citing opposition to female education.

Parents and rights advocates say the latest school bombing undermines efforts to expand schooling in a region where access to education, especially for girls, remains limited.

“This school was the only beacon of hope for our children,” one local elder was quoted as saying by Dawn, lamenting how the blast threatens young students’ futures.

Security challenges persist across Pakistan’s northwest, with Pakistani forces conducting counter-terror operations even as violence affects civilian life.

The rise in school attacks adds to mounting concerns about safety and the ability of the state to protect basic services in former conflict zones. Observers note that attacks on schools resonate widely in Pakistan, evoking memories of past high-profile assaults on educational institutions by extremists.

Fariha Ijaz

The writer is an Assistant Editor at Dissent Today, focusing on extremism and political violence.

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In the letter, Farida Shaheed, special rapporteur on the right to education; Reem Alsalem, special rapporteur on violence against women and girls; and Laura Nyirinkindi, chair-rapporteur of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, called on the government of Pakistan to protect the fundamental right of women and girls to receive a safe and secure education.

“We are troubled by the persistent terrorist attacks targeting girls’ schools by groups opposing the education of women and girls. While all attacks on schools are reprehensible, those specifically aimed at girls’ institutions discourage women and girls from pursuing education, thereby reinforcing discrimination and societal inequalities,” the letter read.

Further, they requested information from the government regarding the investigations and actions being taken to safeguard girls’ schools in Waziristan.

The experts highlighted incidents involving unidentified armed individuals using explosives to target private girls’ schools in North and South Waziristan. A similar incident took place in Surab district of the Kalat division in Balochistan. They noted that the overall enrollment rate for girls in schools is generally lower than that of boys, with the situation being particularly bleak in rural regions.

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According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in 2013 nearly 700 Shia were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. While the large scale attacks targeting the community subsided close to 2015, but targeted killings and other instances of violence continue to target the community. The day of Ashura (10th Muharram) has particularly brought bloodshed for the community, with bomb blasts targeting the Muharram processions.

In 2020, another wave of bigotry and violence against the Shia community was witnessed, with several blasphemy cases registered against them in different parts of the country merely for practicing their faith on Ashura. Extremist groups that consider Shias “infidel” were behind the rise in blasphemy cases against the community. In March last year, a Shia mosque in Peshawar was attacked, and over 60 people were killed.
Earlier, in January 2021, 11 Shia-Hazara coal miners in Mach, Balochistan, were killed after being abducted. The then prime minister Imran Khan was criticised for refusing to visit the protesting heirs of the slain coal miners, calling them “blackmailers”. While the list of atrocities against the Shia community in Pakistan is long, below are some high-profile Shia individuals who lost their lives to the senseless violence.

Former MNA Ali Raza Abidi

Former Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) MNA Ali Raza Abidi, a Shia by faith, was shot dead outside his residence in Karachi’s Defence area in 2019. While his killers remain unknown, he was a vocal voice against activities of banned sectarian outfits, which is why the involvement of these groups in his murder cannot be ruled out. Abidi actively collaborated with civil society groups in their campaign ahead of the 2018 elections seeking disqualification of extremist candidates.

Professor Sibte Jafar

Professor Sibte Jafar was principal of the Liaquatabad College in Karachi and a renowned Shia poet. He was shot dead by unknown men in 2013 near Liaquatabad College. Two members of the banned militant group LeJ were arrested for his killing.

Activist Khurram Zaki

A vocal civil society activist and a strong critic of banned sectarian outfits, 40-year-old Khurram Zaki was killed in 2016 in Karachi.

Allama Nasir Abbas

A prominent Shia cleric from Multan, Allama Nasir Abbas, was shot dead in Lahore when he was returning home after attending a Majlis in the Shah Jamal area of Lahore.

Dr Ali Haider

A prominent eye specialist, Dr Ali Haider and his son shot dead in Lahore near the residence of the then deputy prime minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. Haider was driving his son Murtaza to Aitchison College when two gunmen stopped them and opened fire at the vehicle, killing the doctor and his son.

Aside from these attacks on Shia professionals and clerics, Ashura processions were also bombed many times. In 2013, a suicide blast targeting an Ashura procession in Jacobabad was attacked and 22 people lost their lives. Earlier, in 2006, at least 40 people were killed and 50 others injured in a suspected suicide attack targeting a Muharram procession in the Hangu town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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