Protests ensue in Pakistan after Shia teachers killed in school shooting rampage

Protests and unrest have ensued in Pakistan after at least eight people, including five teachers, were fatally shot in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Upper Kurram Tehsil. The killings have garnered widespread condemnation, as people have started taking to the streets and social media to question the Shehbaz Sharif government over its failure to tackle violence.

"Shia teachers were killed in #Parachinar #Pakistan yesterday. I want to ask FM of @BBhuttoZardari who is currently in for the #SCO summit. Why your government and your security agencies have failed to protect the #Shia community in Pakistan? How long will this persecution happen? When will the butchers of #parachinar be brought to the books, Jenab #BilawalBhuttoZardari?" one user tweeted. 

The anger amongst Pakistan's Shia community comes in the wake of the brutal killings of Thursday. In the first incident, one teacher named Mohammad Sharif was killed while travelling on Shalozan road in a moving vehicle in Kurram district's capital Parachinar. Another incident that followed right after involved unidentified assailants killing seven people, including four teachers in the staffroom of Government High School Tari Mangal, according to Geo News.

Former President of Pakistan & President Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians @AAliZardari condemns the acts of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Read More: https://t.co/L174xx60wR pic.twitter.com/XZ3sSzRbJD

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP)

Shootings rattle Pakistan's Upper Kurram 

The district administration said that the three others killed were drivers who were responsible for bringing construction items to the school. Both incidents involved teachers of the same educational institution. Following the shooting rampage, local authorities imposed emergency in hospitals located nearby.

Furthermore, the school's ongoing matriculation exams that began earlier in April were called off by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Kohat. Schools in the region were also closed. So far, law enforcement officials have been unable to track down the perpetrators. As the police scramble to find the killers, locals in the area have staged protests near the press club.