Gunmen open fire on a school van in Pakistan’s Punjab province, killing 2 children
This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen opened fire on a school van in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province Thursday, killing two children and wounding six other people, police and officials said.
Authorities said the driver, who was among the wounded, seemed to be the target of the attack. “Our initial investigations indicate that the driver had an enmity with someone,” Mohammad Shakil, a local police official, said. He provided no further details.
Updated - Test BSP-2636
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since the 2020 election. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
- Read the latest: Follow AP’s complete coverage of this year’s election.
Police were still investigating to determine who was behind the firing, and no one has claimed responsibility.
The dead and wounded were transported to a nearby hospital, said Ghias Gull, a district police chief in Attock, where the shooting occurred.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsoin Naqvi denounced the attack and ordered the best possible medical treatment be provided to the wounded.
Attock is a district in Punjab province but is not far away from Pakistan’s restive northwest.
Militant attacks have surged in Pakistan in recent years, mostly in the northwest bordering Afghanistan. In 2014, Pakistani militants in the worst assault on an army-run school in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed 147 people, including 132 children.