KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) office has asked the Islamic Emirate (IE) government to investigate the school girls’ poisoning incident in Sancharak district of northern Sari-i-Pul province.
In a tweet, UNICEF asked the acting rulers to investigate the incident thoroughly and do everything possible to keep girls and women safe and hold the perpetrators accountable.
UNICEF added schools should be havens of safety where children learn free from fear and women should be able to work without endangering their lives.
Former president Hamid Karzai also condemned the poisoning incident in Sar-i-Pul province and asked the acting government to open the doors of schools for studying of all girls.
Karzai wrote on his twitter: “The media outlets reported about the poisoning incident in Sancharak district of Sar-i-Pul province. While condemning this inhuman act, I express my deep regret for this incident."
Karzai said: “I hope the acting government will pay special attention to the security of educational centers, because the prosperity is firmly depends on the educated generation and powerful muscles of the youth of a society”.
He also asked the acting government to open the doors of schools for female students as soon as possible and to provide education for children of the country, both girls and boys.
On Sunday, security sources in Sar-i-Pul said that around 60 female students were poisoned in a school in Sancharak district of the province.
Din Mohammad Nazari, Sar-i-Pul police spokesman, told Pajhwok that a number of unknown people entered a girls' secondary school in Ab Kalan village of Sancharak district, sprayed poisonous gas in the classrooms and that morning about 60 students fainted.
aw/ma
