KARACHI, April 25: A children’s rights group on Wednesday condemned the death of four schoolchildren in a clash between Lashkar-i-Islam activists and security forces in the Mandi Kas area of Bara in Khyber Agency, reported on Monday.

In a statement, the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) said that a day before the incident, another episode was reported, in which two motorcyclists had hurled explosives into the house of a resident, Habibullah Lehri, which killed three children.

“Children are being killed as a result of rivalry between two tribes,” said the statement.

In the first case, it said children were used as human shields by the Lashkar-i-Islam activists and in the latter, children paid the price for the hatred of their elders.

“It is shocking and alarming to note that innocent children are being used as shields to protect adults in complete violation of their rights to protection and survival,” the statement added.

The rights group demanded that the government take serious note of such murders and hold an inquiry into the use of students for political motives. The organisation also called upon civil society and parents to make these people accountable for the loss of children and for the many who have died unheard and un-mourned.