Students Terrorised

All schools, colleges closed nationwide

* Three women among six killed in first-ever attack on students as twin suicide bombers hit Islamic University Islamabad
* 25 female students among 29 injured
* Punjab closes educational institutions indefinitely while NWFP, Balochistan and Sindh closed till Sunday

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The provincial governments on Tuesday ordered the closure of government and private educational institutions across the country following an attack on the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) in which six people, including three female students, were killed and 29 others injured.

The Sindh Education Department announced the closure of all government and private schools in the province until October 25 (Sunday), adding universities would remain closed on October 21 (Wednesday) only. The NWFP and Balochistan governments have also announced the closure of all education institutions until Sunday. Educational institutions in the federal capital had already been shut down until October 25.

Unwanted break: In Punjab, a private TV channel reported all government and private education institutions would remain closed until further orders. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told the channel all education institutions would reopen once the security situation improved.

The decision to shut down schools and colleges nationwide was prompted by the twin suicide bombings at the IIUI on Tuesday. The first blast targeted the cafeteria adjacent to a girls’ hostel around 2:10pm, while the second one targeted the Sharia and Law Department building.

Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Aamir Ali Ahmad told Daily Times a general notice of caution had earlier been issued to the university administration in light of the security situation.

Condemning the blasts, the US embassy in Islamabad said the “vicious attack ... reveals yet again the cruel and inhuman nature of the terrorists operating against Pakistan and its people”, AFP reported. In separate statements, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani also condemned the blast and expressed their grief over the death of students, APP reported. staff report/daily times monitor

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