ISLAMABAD, March 3: Over 50 schools in Pakistan’s Mohmand district slammed their doors shut Monday after a rogue drone smashed into a high school building in the troubled northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, sparking widespread safety fears.
The attack unfolded in Ghalanai tehsil when an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) plowed into Governor Model High School, scattering debris across the veranda—but mercifully causing no injuries or major structural damage. Mohmand Deputy Commissioner Yasir Hassan confirmed security forces were scrambling to down a second drone spotted buzzing the airspace above.
In a ripple effect, district authorities ordered 54 government schools closed immediately—covering one in Ghalanai, 33 in Baizai, 10 in Safi, and two in Khwezai. Neighboring North Waziristan followed suit, shuttering 33 institutions in volatile border zones, including 16 girls’ schools. “Student safety comes first—classes are paused until the threat lifts,” a senior official stressed, urging parents to keep kids indoors.
Bajaur tribal district piled on, announcing 39 more border-area schools would stay shut indefinitely. Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali Khan’s emergency meeting cited the dicey security landscape amid raging Afghan-Pakistan clashes. Tight security now blankets the sites, with cordons up for forensics as families hunker down.
