国际英语新闻：Pakistani schools closed over security concerns

ISLAMABAD, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The education department of southeast Pakistan's Sindh province has announced to close all private and government schools in the province for a week, while universities are to be closed on Oct. 21 only, according to local TV channel reports.

Sindh education department took this decision due to security concerns in backdrop of ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan tribal area, the private channel GEO News reported.

    The announcement was made by chief secretary of Sindh after twin blasts at International Islamic University Islamabad in the country 's capital Tuesday, which killed at least six people and injured 21 others.

Pakistani university students gather and demonstrate after the suicide blast at Islamic International University in Islamabad on Oct. 20, 2009

    The private schools and academic institutions in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, were closed Monday for three days because of terror threats in the wake of the military operations in South Waziristan.

A Pakistani policeman stands guard at the site of the bomb blast at Islamabad's Islamic International University on Oct. 20, 2009

Almost all private school and educational institutions in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad also remained closed on Monday amid of reports of terror threats.

    Meanwhile, security are being kept high alert at all international airports across the country.

    Pakistani Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Tuesday that Pakistan is in state of war and the extremists want to destabilize the country with their attacks.

    Pakistani security forces launched military operation in South Waziristan tribal agency bordering Afghanistan in early Oct. 17 morning. The army said that about 30,000 soldiers are in place to take on an estimated 10,000 hard-core Taliban militants in the lawless area.