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Threat of terror attacks on school buses: Educational institutions hire guards for protection

* Precautionary measures follow intelligence reports, govt warnings

By Hussain Kashif

LAHORE: Following intelligence reports that terrorists might attack school and college buses, top educational institutions in the city have deployed security guards on their buses that pick and drop students.

Intelligence agencies had warned of attacks on students’ buses following the suicide bombing at the International Islamic University (IIU) in Islamabad last month.

The reports also warned that terrorist might hijack the buses to coerce the government into fulfilling their demands, such as securing the release of their colleagues, currently in custody.

Law enforcement sources said the government had approached all school and college administrations and advised them to enhance the security of their students, especially those who used institutions’ transport.

They said a number of public and private-sector educational institutions had immediately stepped up security of their students and deployed guards on their buses and vans.

Kiran, a student of Government College Gulberg, said that she used to feel insecure while traveling on her college bus because of the deteriorating law and order in the country, especially after knowing that terrorists had started targeting students. She said had college administration had now deployed security guards on all the college buses, due to which students had now started to feel protected.

Upon contacting, the administrations of key educational institutions including the Lahore University of Management and Sciences, the Beaconhouse National University, the Government College of Home Economics (GCHE) Gulberg, the Punjab University, the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), the Kinnaird College (KC) and the Government College University confirmed that they had beefed up security for their students using the institutions’ transport system.

The GCHE has also deployed guards on all its five buses, while the KC and the LCWU have deployed their senior and experienced drivers and conductors on all their buses.

LCWU Chief Proctor Dr Surriya said the university administration had stepped up security on the campus as well as on its buses and told the staff concerned to avoid allowing outsiders on board. She also the junior staff had also been banned from using the buses because they were solely for students.

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