PESHAWAR: Hundreds of students protesting against a French magazine for publishing blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) stormed a Christian boys' school demanding its closure, officials and police said Tuesday.

Four students were slightly hurt in the incident in the town of Bannu on Monday, which happened as students from local colleges and schools demonstrated against the cartoons printed in French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

“A group of some 200 to 300 protesting students entered Panel High School after jumping its outer walls and forcibly opened the gates,” school principal Fredrick Farhan Das said.

Protests continue across Pakistan

He said the students who wanted the school to be shut damaged the property and smashed windows.

“This caused kind of a stampede, which slightly injured four students,” Das said.

He said the school remained closed on Tuesday in protest against the incident and will re-open on Wednesday.

District police officer Abdul Rashid Khan confirmed the incident but said it was not thought to be an anti-Christian attack.

Two gunmen stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo earlier this month, killing 12 people.

The magazine then published a “survivors” issue with another cover, triggering a wave of angry condemnation and protest in Muslim-majority countries across the world.

At least three people were injured on January 16 when protesters and police clashed at an anti-Charlie Hebdo demonstration outside the French consulate in Karachi.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
Updated 14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

If the FBR falters, the government will find itself in hot water sooner rather than later.
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...