On 20 January 2016, several gunmen opened fire at Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, Pakistan. It is located in the Charsadda District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At least 21 people were killed and over 20 others were wounded. Over 200 students were rescued from the premises, while four gunmen were killed. The Geedar faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, although the Pakistani Taliban denied and condemned the assault.
The attack came as the military announced the end of the clearance operations in the area. A few days before the attack, authorities closed some schools in Peshawar because they believed an attack was being planned. The university was founded in 2012 and is in a rural location. A nearby school was attacked and 130 students were killed in 2014. A mushaira (poetry gathering) to honour Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (secular Pashtun nationalist leader after whom the university is named) may have been the target, as he opposed the Taliban and the Mujahadeen against the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, known to oppose the militarism of the War on Terror, was elected, against incumbency, to govern the province.
At 9:30 am, four men entered classrooms and accommodation blocks, opening fire on teachers and students; they were also armed with suicide vests. The attack happened as the students and faculty members gathered at the school for a poetry recital to commemorate the death anniversary of Gandhian Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. The university was reportedly not adequately secured, especially at the backside of the building, which had low boundary walls. Witnesses reported that an assistant professor, armed with a pistol, fired at the assailants.
According to provincial Health Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, more than 30 people have been killed and over 60 wounded, including students and an assistant professor. More than 60 students were rescued from the premises. According to an army spokesperson, four gunmen have been killed. Provincial Public Health Engineering Minister Shah Farman said: "54 security guards were stationed at the university. Around 200 people were present in the examination hall, all of whom were rescued, and timely action by police and army has prevented large scale damage". The Education Department in Charsadda has announced the closure of all schools for 10 days.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was in Zurich to attend the World Economic Forum, said: "I'm deeply grieved over the attack, and we are determined and resolved in our commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland." Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif reached Charsadda to boost the morale of the security personnel and took part in the operation. A three-day mourning has been announced in the province by the Khyber Pakhtonkhwa government due to the attack.
Speaking from the university, former health minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai said: "This is a frontline province. We are fighting Pakistan's war in this province... The backs of terrorists have been broken and they are breathing their last. This stunt is an attempt to breathe life into their cause."
Condemnations and condolences were issued from countries and organisations' politicians and representatives showing solidarity: European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini; United Nations' Secretary General Ban Ki-moon; China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei; India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari; Italy's Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo; Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; United Kingdom's High Commissioner Philip Barton; and the United States' embassy.
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