DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Unknown assailants on Friday blew up an under-construction girls primary school with explosives in the suburban village of Gara Budha in Tank district.

A police official said that the building, which was in its final stages of completion, sustained severe damage after explosive material, planted under its boundary wall and several classrooms, went off.

According to police officials, the bomb disposal unit inspected the site and collected preliminary evidence.

Authorities said the motive and perpetrators behind the attack were yet to be identified.

The incident has created fear and anxiety among local residents. Parents have warned of protests if the culprits are not arrested soon.

They urged the provincial government to take strict security measures to prevent such attacks in the future and to ensure the immediate reconstruction of the affected school so that students’ education is not disrupted.

Meanwhile, four employees of a mobile phone company, who were abducted the other day, were safely recovered here on Friday.

According to police officials, the employees were kidnapped from the Garah Bakhtiyar area while transporting tower and generator equipment.

Following their abduction, a large-scale search and strike operation was launched in the area under the supervision of senior police officers.

Sub-divisional police officer Nawab Khan said that the abductees were released unconditionally by the kidnappers in Garah Mastan village of Kulachi tehsil of Dera, reportedly due to fear of the ongoing police operation.

Police further confirmed that a case had already been registered at the Counter-Terrorism Department police station against the unidentified abductors.

The officials reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the safety of citizens and maintaining law and order in the region.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2025