LAHORE, Oct 4: Unidentified men opened fire at a religious school for girls at Chungi Amar Sadhu early on Friday morning.

Housed in a three-storey building, Jamia Mohammadia Banatul Islam is situated in a thickly populated locality of Kot Lakhpat area.

Some 130 students and 11 teachers were asleep when two men opened fire at the Madressah. Seminary administrator Qari Zahoorul Haq Chishti told Dawn that he came out of his house adjacent to the school when he heard gunshots. In the meantime, the attackers had escaped.

Quoting eyewitness Mohammad Aslam, the Qari said he saw two men running towards a motorcycle parked nearby.

Teacher Hafiza Raheela said the girl students were asleep on the floors of the second-storey rooms, facing the street. All but 12-year-old Naureen escaped unhurt.

Naureen was hit by a broken glass of a windowpane while running inside the room, Raheela said.

Model Town division police SP Capt Syed Mubin Ahmad (retired) said the motive behind the attack was not clear yet. “We are investigating whether it was a sectarian attack or a political one as the administrator (of the seminary) is also contesting election from PP-153.”

Qari Zahoor said that he was contesting elections as an independent candidate. He believed that any of his five competitors might have been involved in it.

The empties of weapons used in the attack have been sent for a chemical examination, the SP said, and added the case had been registered and further investigation were under way.