Female student injured in Karachi school firing

• Victim, a matric student, says bullet hit her in the leg.
• Police say the "aggressor" escaped after firing.
• School teacher calls on parents for stricter vigilance of children.

KARACHI: A female student was injured at a school in Karachi's Orangi Town after a fellow student's gun went off in class, the area's police confirmed Wednesday.

Alisha Abdul Aziz, who is a student of matriculation, was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for initial treatment and later to a private medical facility on Stadium Road — and is said to be out of danger.

Speaking on the matter, the school's administration told the police that the incident took place in one of the classrooms after a matriculation student, a boy, had brought a weapon to class.

The school administration also confirmed that the shooter's name is Fazlullah, adding: “Boys’ shift at the school ended at 4pm; whereas, the girls’ shift ended at 4:30pm. Fazlullah had stayed behind after his classes ended.”

They further confirmed that family members of the student who had brought the weapon to school had switched off their mobile phones and were not reachable.

'Accidentally'

The police, meanwhile, said that the "aggressor" escaped after firing. According to the investigation so far, they said, the bullet was fired "accidentally".

The victim, in a statement to the police, said that the firing took place inside the classroom. She claimed that Fazlullah had brought weapons inside the school in his bag pack and had shown the weapon to other friends of the class as well.

“A sudden shot was fired inside the class,” she said, adding that “the bullet was fired from behind and hit me in the leg.”

However, SSP West Faisal Bashir Memon said that the police are investigating the incident from different angles and that a case will be registered against Fazlullah under the section of attempted murder.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions Sindh has formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident.

“Parents should check what students are bringing to school,” a teacher at the school said, "it is not possible to check the bags of each student individually.”

It is pertinent to mention here that a few months ago, a student was killed in a firing incident outside a coaching centre in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The accused of the earlier incident has not been arrested as of yet.