School's out

School's out

It’s a day off for many children here in Pakistan. They’ll enjoy the warmth of the late autumn day, unaware of the concerns behind why they’ve been given extra time to play.

The decision was taken by many schools late on Sunday. First it was the ones run by the military who decided to close their gates, then some federal schools thought they should follow suit, followed by a number of private schools.

The authorities are worried the buildings and the students could become targets for retaliatory attacks for the army offensive in South Waziristan. There are echos of Beslan here, where armed Chechen rebels took over the school building and held hundreds of children hostage. There’s no way of knowing if the schools are acting on firm evidence or just a fear of what might happen. But the fear is enough.

The schools will review their decision – some later this week, others in a week’s time.

The Pakistani Army say they’re taking the action in South Waziristan because it’s where suicide bombing attacks are planned. They may be pinning the Taliban back, putting them under pressure, but the decision in the schools perhaps shows they know they can't stop all the attacks.