Kurram School Massacre: Seven Shia Teachers Killed

May 4, 2023 | Teri Mangal, Upper Kurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

On May 4, 2023, gunmen opened fire at a school in Teri Mangal, Kurram, killing seven people, including four teachers and three school employees. Another man was killed earlier that day, bringing the wider death toll to eight.

The killings shocked Kurram and triggered protests demanding justice and protection for teachers.

For me, this is not simply another headline.

What Happened in Teri Mangal?

The violence took place in Teri Mangal, Upper Kurram, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

According to contemporary reports, gunmen entered a school and opened fire on staff members who were engaged in examination-related duties. Seven people inside the school were killed.

The victims included teachers and school employees who had gone to work that morning expecting an ordinary day.

Instead, their families received devastating news.

The incident was followed by protests in Kurram, with residents demanding justice and greater protection for the local population.

Seven Shia Teachers and School Workers Were Killed

The deaths were particularly painful for the local Shia community.

Teachers are supposed to educate children and build a better future. They are not supposed to become targets of violence.

The Teri Mangal killings demonstrated how quickly ordinary civilians can become victims when sectarian tensions, militant violence and local disputes turn deadly.

The attack also raised wider questions about the safety of Shia Muslims in Kurram and the state’s ability to protect minority communities from violence.

For broader context on targeted violence against Shia and Hazara communities in Pakistan, readers can also see our report on Hazara Community Under Threat: Targeted Killings and the Right to Life in Pakistan.

My Outrage Is Against Sectarian Militancy

Pakistan has a long and bloody history of anti-Shia violence. Organizations including Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) have been associated with sectarian militancy and anti-Shia violence. Both organizations are officially proscribed by Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Authority.

But there is an important point about this particular attack: contemporary police reporting described the immediate Kurram killings as connected to a longstanding land dispute, while other voices, including Shia representatives, rejected that explanation and warned about religious extremism.

So I will not falsely claim that SSP or LeJ carried out this particular attack without evidence.

But I will say this without hesitation:

The sectarian hatred that has allowed Shias to be treated as targets must be confronted.

Militant organizations that preach hatred against Shias deserve no sympathy and no excuses.

Teachers Were Killed Instead of Protected

These were teachers.

They went to school to work.

They were not combatants. They were not a threat to anyone.

Yet seven people were murdered.

One teacher, Liaquat Ali, reportedly called his son from the staff room shortly before the killings and said he feared that he and his colleagues were in danger.

Think about that.

A teacher sitting at work, realizing that he might be killed, calling his son—and then never coming home.

This is the human cost of sectarian and militant violence.

Why I Cannot Stay Silent

When another Shia is killed in Pakistan, I do not see just a number.

• I see someone’s father.

• Someone’s brother.
• Someone’s son.
• Someone’s friend.
• Someone whose family will carry that loss for the rest of their lives.

That is why I speak.

My condemnation is directed at the killers, extremist ideologies and militant networks—not at an entire religious community.

I reject the idea that one Muslim should be murdered because another Muslim disagrees with his sect.

Justice Cannot Be a Slogan

Following the killings, residents and teachers protested and demanded that the perpetrators be arrested.

The state has a responsibility to do more than condemn such attacks.

It must identify those responsible, investigate the networks behind violence, and bring perpetrators before the courts.

There was a significant development in July 2025: security forces killed Abdul Rehman Mangal and Wajid Gul Mangal in a Kurram operation. Authorities said both had been wanted in multiple terrorist attacks, including the May 4, 2023 Teri Mangal school attack.

That development should be part of any serious historical account of the case—but accountability must ultimately rest on evidence and due process.

Seven Lives Were Not Seven Numbers

• The victims of Teri Mangal deserved to return home.
• They deserved to teach another day.
• Their families deserved to see them again.

They deserved to live.

I will continue speaking about the killing of Shias because silence cannot protect us.

And I will continue demanding justice—not revenge.

Seven people were killed in a school. Their lives mattered. Their families matter. And their memory matters.