As we head into December, this month reopens the memory of one of the most heartbreaking days in our history: the APS Peshawar attack on 16 December 2014. It was a day when innocence was shattered in a place meant for learning and safety.
That morning began like any other. Students at the Army Public School woke up early, put on their uniforms, packed their bags and kissed their parents goodbye. They walked into classrooms thinking about lessons, sports and the future they hoped to build. Many dreamed of becoming engineers, doctors, teachers, artists and athletes. Within minutes, their hopes were silenced.
Armed militants stormed the school, turning a sanctuary of education into a site of horror. More than 140 children and staff members were killed. The tragedy was not only a wound for each family but also a blow to the collective heart of an entire nation.
We lost people with stories: a promising student who built a website for an animal shelter; a captain whose energy united the school’s football team; a senior whose ambitions inspired peers; a helpful young boy who assisted elders at the local store; a child artist whose drawings captured the spirit of every school event. Each one left behind dreams that will never be fulfilled.
Pakistan cried together that day. Parents held their children tighter and communities mourned their future. The tragedy became a solemn reminder of our shared responsibility to protect every child. To the young stars we lost too soon — your memory lights our path toward a kinder, safer and more humane world. You remain forever in our hearts.
Yumna Zahid Ali
Karachi
