Aftershocks of trauma: A city that has forgotten how to laugh

Three days after the tragedy, people struggle to pick up the pieces.

PESHAWAR: Grief, sorrow and death are merely hollow synonyms for a loss which has shaken the citizens of Peshawar.

The city wears an eerie look and its atmosphere is filled with anguish, sadness and pain. The brutal carnage of innocent children and teachers at Army Public School has left deeps imprints on the hearts and minds of people.

Three days after the tragedy, people are struggling to pick up the pieces and look ahead. Shopkeepers may have pulled up the metal shutters of their stores in the hope of getting their business back on track. Yet, there is something which is amiss.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Saddam, a cloth merchant in Saddar Bazaar, says the city isn’t the same anymore. “We have pulled up the shutters of our shops with heavy hearts,” he explains. “But the atmosphere of the city is gloomy and there is no pleasure in doing business.”

According to Saddam, the pain and suffering has struck a chord in the hearts of many. “Everyone is sad,” he says. “The city seems to have forgotten how to laugh.” Tahir Khan, another shopkeeper in Saddar, says the incident will be forever etched in their minds. “No one will be able to forget that day. Tragedy is a too small a word for such a massacre. It has left me speechless.”

The shopkeeper added the incident has sent people into a state of panic and shock all across the world, not only in Peshawar. “Both Muslims and non-Muslims have condemned the incident,” Khan explains. “You don’t need to belong to a particular faith to feel this pain. December 16 will always be remembered as a dark day by everyone.”

Remembering the fallen

Afsha Namdar, a student of Khyber Medical University, visited Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and later the victims’ graves where she placed flowers.

“We are holding candlelight vigils to remember the martyrs,” she says. “Three days have passed, but our tears have not dried yet. It makes no sense why these children were killed in this manner when they had committed no crime. It was an act of cowardice.”

There is a palpable change in the mindset of Peshawar’s citizens. Candlelight vigils across its streets aren’t just a show of solidarity. They represent the thirst for justice. Silence is a thing of the past. The people want accountability and have urged the government and military to take the culprits to task.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2014.