Washington International School loses teacher and student

Mumtaz and her son where on their way to school when the attack took place meters away from the instit­ution.


Express September 19, 2011

KARACHI:



Vice Principal Arifa Awan was standing shell shocked at the gate of Washington International School as shards of glass were being carried out in buckets. She lost not only an eight-year-old student, but also his mother who was one of her teachers.


Thirty-five-year-old Mumtaz Khan and her only son eight-year-old Moeed were killed in the suicide attack outside SSP Chaudhry Aslam’s house as they were on their way to school.

Teary-eyed Mrs Awan recalled how the young Moeed, who studied in class three, had won a cup in the school’s sports event recently. “He was lovely boy, who was not only good in extra curricular activities but also his studies.” She said that his mother, Mrs Khan, had joined the school as an Urdu language teacher some three years back.

“She was a single parent who was raising the child on her own,” Awan said, adding that Mrs Khan had separated from her husband. The mother and child lived in Korangi D sector.  DHA Inspector Jamshed Akhtar, who was one of the first people to have reached the spot, said that he saw the mother and child lying near their white Alto car (AGB-249). The car, which was badly damaged, had two bundles of files about student and parent-teacher meeting evaluation reports.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th,  2011.

COMMENTS (78)

Naveed Khan | 12 years ago | Reply

Our daughter attends one of the schools right across from this blast and we were just headed down to the car when we found out what had happened. While we are very glad that this incident did not take place an hour later when the schools would have resumed their full out schedule, our heart goes out to the mother and son who became victims. I am a Crisis and Emergency Management specialist and have been trying to work with the Administration on risk reduction for such disasters but so far nothing made of it. I have dedicated my most recent post 'When Terrorism Strikes Too Close To Home' to Moeed and his mother Mumtaz. Please read, forward, comment and share. Most of all, sound off your concerns with safety and security in the future.

Shazia Khalid | 12 years ago | Reply Till today whenever i see any news related to innocent and ill fated Mumtaz and Moheed i cannot control my emotions. Yesterday showed his school and his friends who were so shocked. The question is we all condemn such incidents but we dont know whats next going to happen trust me i dont see any betterment in the future all these corrupt politicians will kill the whole Pakistan and then move abroad.All our nation including myself only TALK and TALK that is it, We cannot beat all this till we are ONE which i dont see in us.
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