In a renewed wave of violence, the Khawarij operatives of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) that completely destroyed the Government High School Akbari in the Gul Imam area of Tank district, once again targeting education as part of their regressive ideological war. The late night bombing, which occurred within the jurisdiction of Gul Imam Police Station, left the school in ruins. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, but the building was reduced to rubble. Police officials, including District Police Officer (DPO) Aslam Nawaz and the local Station House Officer (SHO), confirmed the incident and launched a formal investigation.
This school, the only public high school serving over 15,000 residents in the area, was a lifeline for hundreds of students. With its destruction, an entire community has been plunged into despair. Locals described the attack as a direct assault on their children’s future. “The Khawarij are not just destroying buildings they are dismantling hope,” said a resident while surveying the debris.
The latest school bombing underscores a dangerous resurgence of TTP-linked Khawarij elements in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Analysts say the attack aligns with a disturbing pattern: in recent months, the Khawarij have not only intensified assaults on educational institutions but have also expanded their targets to places of worship, bombing mosques and killing worshippers in what experts call a nihilistic campaign against both knowledge and faith.
The Government High School Akbari’s destruction is reminiscent of the dark era when dozens of girls’ and boys’ schools across the tribal belt were reduced to ashes by the same elements. With the state now struggling to prevent the re-emergence of these forces, the people of Tank are once again caught in a vortex of fear, abandonment, and defiance.
Civil society organisations, education activists, and religious leaders have condemned the attack and called upon the federal and provincial governments to adopt an uncompromising stance against the Khawarij. “The writ of the state must be felt where it matters the most—in our schools, our mosques, and our homes,” said a senior educationist in Dera Ismail Khan.
Meanwhile, local police and law enforcement agencies have tightened security across vulnerable institutions in the district, as intelligence agencies probe the network behind the bombing. Authorities have vowed that those responsible will be brought to justice, but the residents remain skeptical. As the ashes of the Akbari school smolder, the message from the people of Tank is clear: this war must end—education and faith must be defended at all costs.
