An attack by suspected Taliban militants on a university in north-west Pakistan has killed at least 19 people and injured 50.
An army official said the attack was over but troops were still searching Bacha Khan University campus in Charsadda.
Four attackers were killed, the army reported.
A senior Pakistan Taliban commander claimed the group was responsible for the attack but the main spokesman for the group later denied that it was involved.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said: "We are determined and resolved in our commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland."
Conflicting claims of responsibility for attack
M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad
There have been conflicting claims about who was behind the attack, with a senior Taliban commander initially claiming responsibility, only for the group's main spokesman to deny any involvement.
The confusion is perhaps no surprise, given a kaleidoscopic mix of militant networks along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region in the north.
The attack comes amid a sudden spike in militant violence in Pakistan, after a year of relative peace and quiet attributed to a 2014 military operation against militants in Waziristan.
Questions are now being raised over whether that operation really destroyed the ability of militants to regroup and strike at will.
This attack is reminiscent of the December 2014 attack on a school in Peshawar, in which more than 150 people, mostly schoolboys, were killed. Damage to life and property this time has been much less, partly due to swift action by the local police but also because the university had its own team of more than 50 trained security guards.
A dense fog that reduced visibility to less than 10 metres may also have been a factor.
AFP/GettyCopyright: AFP/Getty
Opposition leader Imran Khan condemns 'cowardly attack'
Imran Khan, head of the opposition PTI which governs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has described the attack as "cowardly".
The cricketer-turned-politician is travelling to the scene.
Student: 'My friend jumped from a building during the attack'
A witness told local TV how a friend leapt from a high window to escape the militants, who were chanting "Allah is the greatest".
Video content
Video caption: Pakistani student: 'Friend leapt from building' during university attackPakistani student: 'Friend leapt from building' during university attack
What we know so far
An attack by suspected Taliban militants on a university in north-west Pakistan has killed at least 19 people and injured 50.
An army official said the attack was over but troops were still searching Bacha Khan University campus in Charsadda.
Four attackers were killed, the army reported.
A senior Pakistan Taliban commander claimed the group was responsible for the attack but the main spokesman for the group later denied that it was involved.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said: "We are determined and resolved in our commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland."
APCopyright: AP
BreakingPakistan Taliban spokesman denies group carried out attack
The main spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban - the TTP - has denied that the group carried out the attack.
In a statement, Mohammad Khurasani described the attack as "un-Islamic" and said the group would hold people accountable for using its name.
His statement contradicts a senior Pakistan Taliban commander, who earlier claimed that the group was responsible for the attack.
Tributes paid to 'hero' chemistry professor who 'fought back'
Twitter users in Pakistan and beyond have been paying tribute to Syed Hamid Hussain, a Chemistry professor at the university who reportedly fired back at the militants before he was shot dead.
Indian PM Modi condemns attack
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the attack and sent his condolences to the families of the victims.
ARY News' online editor Omar Qurashi has told the BBC that the university appears to have been chosen because it was an easy target:
Quote Message: It's a soft target, it's a private university in a town that's not in one of the major cities in the country where security measures have gone up.... So I think it's been chosen for that reason and to send a message again.
It's a soft target, it's a private university in a town that's not in one of the major cities in the country where security measures have gone up.... So I think it's been chosen for that reason and to send a message again.
Quote Message: Because of the military's on-going operation against the Taliban in the tribal areas. They're trying to send a message to them that 'You're still vulnerable'.
Because of the military's on-going operation against the Taliban in the tribal areas. They're trying to send a message to them that 'You're still vulnerable'.
AFP/GettyCopyright: AFP/Getty
Geo TV: Imran Khan condemns attacks
Imran Khan, the leader of the PTI party which rules the area where the university is located, has condemned the attack, Geo TV reports.
"I am going to Charsadda myself, and will review the situation myself. We are united against terrorism and all of Pakistan is on [the same] page," he told reporters.
AFP have quoted a student who was speaking to Pakistani TV:
Quote Message: We saw three terrorists shouting, 'Allah is great!' and rushing towards the stairs of our department...One student jumped out of the classroom through the window. We never saw him get up
We saw three terrorists shouting, 'Allah is great!' and rushing towards the stairs of our department...One student jumped out of the classroom through the window. We never saw him get up
The student also described seeing a chemistry professor holding a pistol and firing at the attackers.
Quote Message: Then we saw him fall down and as the terrorists entered the office we ran away
Then we saw him fall down and as the terrorists entered the office we ran away
More on the Taliban claim
AFP say they have spoken to a Pakistani Taliban commander, who says his group was behind the attack. Speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location, Umar Mansoor said it was in response to a military offensive against extremists in the tribal areas.
Quote Message: Our four suicide attackers carried out the attack on Bacha Khan University today from Umar Mansoor Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistani (TTP) leader
Our four suicide attackers carried out the attack on Bacha Khan University today
Govt asks media not to reveal troop movements
Pakistan's media regulator Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has asked the media not to reveal the movements of security personnel or students, Radio Pakistan reports.
'Inadequate security' at university
Parents are saying that security arrangements at Bacha Khan University were not good enough, according to Reuters Pakistan correspondent Mehreen Zahra-Malik.
Injured evacuated to nearby hospital
AFP/Getty ImagesCopyright: AFP/Getty Images
AFP: Taliban claim attack
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack, AFP reports.
Local Pakistani media have also reported the Taliban claim.
In shock
People react following the attack.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
'Intense gunfire' at university
The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani has more details on the attack:
Quote Message: The gunmen entered the university by climbing over the back wall. Intense gunfire and explosions were heard as security guards fought the attackers. Students and staff ran to find cover in bathrooms and examination halls.
The gunmen entered the university by climbing over the back wall. Intense gunfire and explosions were heard as security guards fought the attackers. Students and staff ran to find cover in bathrooms and examination halls.
Quote Message: By the time police and Pakistani army commandos arrived, several students and staff members were dead and dozens of others wounded. Most people have now been evacuated. The army says it is conducting a search operation to clear the area.
By the time police and Pakistani army commandos arrived, several students and staff members were dead and dozens of others wounded. Most people have now been evacuated. The army says it is conducting a search operation to clear the area.
At least four people seriously hurt
At least four seriously injured people have been rushed to Peshawar's Lady Reading hospital, the BBC's Ilyas Khan reports.
Live Reporting
Tom Spender, Joel Gunter and Tessa Wong
All times stated are UK
- An attack by suspected Taliban militants on a university in north-west Pakistan has killed at least 19 people and injured 50.
- An army official said the attack was over but troops were still searching Bacha Khan University campus in Charsadda.
- Four attackers were killed, the army reported.
- A senior Pakistan Taliban commander claimed the group was responsible for the attack but the main spokesman for the group later denied that it was involved.
- Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said: "We are determined and resolved in our commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland."
AFP/GettyCopyright: AFP/Getty Video caption: Pakistani student: 'Friend leapt from building' during university attackPakistani student: 'Friend leapt from building' during university attack - An attack by suspected Taliban militants on a university in north-west Pakistan has killed at least 19 people and injured 50.
- An army official said the attack was over but troops were still searching Bacha Khan University campus in Charsadda.
- Four attackers were killed, the army reported.
- A senior Pakistan Taliban commander claimed the group was responsible for the attack but the main spokesman for the group later denied that it was involved.
- Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said: "We are determined and resolved in our commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland."
APCopyright: AP View more on twitterView more on twitter 
AFP/GettyCopyright: AFP/Getty View more on twitterView more on twitter View more on twitterView more on twitter 
AFP/Getty ImagesCopyright: AFP/Getty Images 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Latest PostSummary
We are going to pause our live coverage here for now. Below is a summary of what we know so far. You can follow developments on our main news story:
Pakistan Charsadda: Deadly assault on university
What we know so far
Conflicting claims of responsibility for attack
M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad
There have been conflicting claims about who was behind the attack, with a senior Taliban commander initially claiming responsibility, only for the group's main spokesman to deny any involvement.
The confusion is perhaps no surprise, given a kaleidoscopic mix of militant networks along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region in the north.
The attack comes amid a sudden spike in militant violence in Pakistan, after a year of relative peace and quiet attributed to a 2014 military operation against militants in Waziristan.
Questions are now being raised over whether that operation really destroyed the ability of militants to regroup and strike at will.
This attack is reminiscent of the December 2014 attack on a school in Peshawar, in which more than 150 people, mostly schoolboys, were killed. Damage to life and property this time has been much less, partly due to swift action by the local police but also because the university had its own team of more than 50 trained security guards.
A dense fog that reduced visibility to less than 10 metres may also have been a factor.
Opposition leader Imran Khan condemns 'cowardly attack'
Imran Khan, head of the opposition PTI which governs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has described the attack as "cowardly".
The cricketer-turned-politician is travelling to the scene.
Student: 'My friend jumped from a building during the attack'
A witness told local TV how a friend leapt from a high window to escape the militants, who were chanting "Allah is the greatest".
Video content
What we know so far
BreakingPakistan Taliban spokesman denies group carried out attack
The main spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban - the TTP - has denied that the group carried out the attack.
In a statement, Mohammad Khurasani described the attack as "un-Islamic" and said the group would hold people accountable for using its name.
His statement contradicts a senior Pakistan Taliban commander, who earlier claimed that the group was responsible for the attack.
Tributes paid to 'hero' chemistry professor who 'fought back'
Twitter users in Pakistan and beyond have been paying tribute to Syed Hamid Hussain, a Chemistry professor at the university who reportedly fired back at the militants before he was shot dead.
Indian PM Modi condemns attack
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the attack and sent his condolences to the families of the victims.
University was 'soft target'
ARY News' online editor Omar Qurashi has told the BBC that the university appears to have been chosen because it was an easy target:
Geo TV: Imran Khan condemns attacks
Imran Khan, the leader of the PTI party which rules the area where the university is located, has condemned the attack, Geo TV reports.
"I am going to Charsadda myself, and will review the situation myself. We are united against terrorism and all of Pakistan is on [the same] page," he told reporters.
Charsadda trending on Twitter
The hashtags #Charsadda and #BachaKhanUniversity have been trending among Pakistani Twitter users as the country reacts:
'We saw three terrorists'
AFP have quoted a student who was speaking to Pakistani TV:
The student also described seeing a chemistry professor holding a pistol and firing at the attackers.
More on the Taliban claim
AFP say they have spoken to a Pakistani Taliban commander, who says his group was behind the attack. Speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location, Umar Mansoor said it was in response to a military offensive against extremists in the tribal areas.
Govt asks media not to reveal troop movements
Pakistan's media regulator Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has asked the media not to reveal the movements of security personnel or students, Radio Pakistan reports.
'Inadequate security' at university
Parents are saying that security arrangements at Bacha Khan University were not good enough, according to Reuters Pakistan correspondent Mehreen Zahra-Malik.
Injured evacuated to nearby hospital
AFP: Taliban claim attack
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack, AFP reports.
Local Pakistani media have also reported the Taliban claim.
In shock
People react following the attack.
'Intense gunfire' at university
The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani has more details on the attack:
At least four people seriously hurt
At least four seriously injured people have been rushed to Peshawar's Lady Reading hospital, the BBC's Ilyas Khan reports.