Orphans pay tribute to APS, Peshawar attack victims

We are not afraid of terrorists, say the children

SUKKUR: The children lost in the Army Public School (APS), Peshawar attack were remembered on Friday by the residents of Pakistan Sweet Homes, Sukkur. The orphanage's residents lit candles and displayed pictures of the APS martyrs and offered prayers.

One of the residents, Tanveer, said, "The terrorists showed their cowardliness by attacking an educational institute and killing innocent students". The terrorists might have thought that Pakistani children will be afraid and reluctant to go to schools, but the brave children proved them wrong, he added. Addressing the parents of the students who lost their lives at the APS, he said, "You lost your children and we lost our parents and therefore our pain is common".

Two orphans, Jameel Ahmed and Abrar, said that despite losing thousands of lives at the hands of terrorists, the country is united and not afraid of them. Jameel, with tears rolling down his cheeks, resolved to avenge the death of every single Pakistani. "Look, today we are going to school and you have been crushed by our army," he told the terrorists.

Executive director alShifa Trust Eye Hospital, Sukkur Colonel (retd) Masoodul Hassan said, "The Pakistani nation is a brave nation and therefore refused to succumb to the atrocities of the terrorists". He added that by observing the second anniversary of the attack at the orphanage, he had been given a moral boost by seeing the kids, whose 'resolve is higher than the mountains'.

Assistant director of Pakistan Baitul Mal, Sukkur Shabbir Memon said, "These children [the orphans] are our future and believe me, whenever I visit this place, I feel proud of these children who have overcome all the odds and are doing well".

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2016.