School tragedy: Nishan-e-Haider demanded for principal

Petitioner says Qazi did not bother to save her life and made dint of efforts to protect the innocent children

LAHORE: A writ petition was filed in Lahore High Court seeking direction to give Pakistan’s highest military award for gallantry - Nishan-e-Haidar - to principal of the Army Public School Peshawar following her bravery to sacrifice her life trying to save the children of her school. Petitioner Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafri submitted that Principal Sayra Qazi did not bother to save her life and made dint of efforts to protect the innocent children in the school. He contended that she went to the class rooms to protect the children and the terrorists set her ablaze when she responded to the terrorists that she was wife of an army officer. He implored that Islam gave equal rights to all and contended that Nishan-e-Haider was not given to any woman in the history of Pakistan. Barrister Jafri prayed the court to pass directions to the relevant authorities to give Sayra Qazi Nishan-e-Haider for her brave attempts to save the lives of her students at the cost of her own life.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2014.