By Mehrab Shah Afridi
ISLAMABAD: Eleven years have passed since terrorists stormed the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, yet the pain has shown no sign of fading. For parents who buried their children and for siblings who grew up without brothers or sisters, December remains the coldest and longest month, heavy with memory.
On 16 December 2014, militants turned a place of learning into a killing field, murdering 147 people, including 132 students, as well as women teachers and school staff. More than 150 others were wounded in an attack that shook the nation to its core. Among the dead were school principal Tahira Qazi and several teachers who placed themselves between the attackers and their students, sacrificing their lives in desperate acts of protection.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, a martyrs’ memorial was built inside APS to honor those who were killed. Each year, families of the martyrs gather at the site to pay tribute, while formal salutes are also presented in remembrance of the victims. This year, on the 11th anniversary of the APS attack, ceremonies were held at the school, while families across the country recited the Quran and offered special prayers in their homes.
As the anniversary approached, painful memories resurfaced. A deeply emotional message by Altaf Hussain, the father of a young APS student who was killed in the attack, went viral on social media. In his post, he recalled that his daughter had left home happily on her first day of school, clutching her books, but never returned.
