Pakistan's terror crisis deepens as girls' school blown up in South Waziristan amid severe security collapse
Wana, June 24
In a stark reminder of the crumbling security apparatus and the state's persistent failure to protect female education in Pakistan, unidentified extremists blew up a government girls' primary school using explosive materials in the Sara Ghowara area of Birmal tehsil late on Tuesday night, according to a report by Dawn.
District Police Officer Muhammad Tahir Shah confirmed that the catastrophic late-night explosion completely demolished the educational facility. Dawn reported that the local police have merely registered an initial report in the daily log and launched a routine probe, even as no terror outfit or individual has claimed responsibility for the sabotage so far.
The latest attack underscores a lawless environment where safe spaces for children are rapidly disappearing. According to local police and terror-afflicted residents cited by Dawn, targeted strikes against educational infrastructure have escalated sharply in Lower South Waziristan in recent months, exposing the failure of law enforcement agencies to maintain order.
This targeted destruction follows a grim trajectory of unchecked militancy in Birmal tehsil, where anonymous attackers had previously struck two separate schools in February and March.
Local community leaders and residents noted that these repeated acts of violence expose a deep-rooted hostility toward modern education and present a severe jeopardy to the future of children, particularly young girls, who already face staggering structural and societal hurdles in accessing basic educational opportunities within the country's restive, remote regions.
The collapse of administrative control over radical elements is further mirrored in neighbouring districts.
A government-run girls' school in North Waziristan's Mir Ali was completely flattened by explosives in December 2025. This followed an October incident where another state-run primary school for girls was reduced to rubble using explosives in the Wanda Zahidgul area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Lakki Marwat district.
— ANI
Reader Comments
It's deeply troubling to see extremists continue to target female education. The international community needs to step up. Here in the US, we take education for granted. Those girls just want to learn to read and write — what's so threatening about that? India and Pakistan should work together to combat this terrorism.
Every time I read such news, I count my blessings for being born in India where even in the remotest villages, our government is setting up Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas for girls. Pakistan needs to wake up and realise that a nation that doesn't educate its women has no future. Shame on these cowards who target schools! 💔
While I condemn the attack, I must say India is not completely insulated from such threats. Our security forces also face challenges in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. But the difference is our resolve — we don't let terrorists dictate our development agenda. Pakistan's civilian government and army need to introspect why their children, especially girls, are paying the price for their failures. Respectfully, their political leadership is woefully inadequate.
As someone from the UK who has worked in development, I've seen how central girls' education is to lifting communities out of poverty. This is a tragedy not just for the girls of South Waziristan but for Pakistan's future. India's investments in girls' education — from Beti Bachao Beti Padhao to mid-day meals in schools — show what political will can achieve. My heart goes out to those families.
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