More determined than ever: ‘I want to grow up, not blow up’

APS Students vow to eliminate the scourge of terrorism.

PESHAWAR: Many students of the Army Public School (APS) were wiped out in cold blood by terrorists on December 16, 2014. But survivors are confident that a stronger nation and more determined youth will rise from the ashes of the brutal attack.

Quoting an unknown author, Khadija, a visitor to the APS says, “Life seems harsh and unfair, but remember, things happen for a reason—after the rain, the sun will shine.” She is confident the sacrifices of APS students will not go in vain. “The Pakistan army will crush terrorists.”

She believes students will play a pivotal role in uprooting militancy from the country. Pointing to a placard which reads “We shall rise and shine again”, the woman adds the murdered students of the army-run school will never be forgotten.

Private college student Arbab Khushal says students of APS left this world before having the chance to transform their dreams into reality. “Now we will realise their dreams and eliminate terrorists from our motherland,” he adds. “We are a strong nation.”

Standing next to a banner reading “I’ll fight for it, I’ll not give up, I’ll reach my goal”, Khushal says such messages inside the school reflect the commitment and courage of the nation’s students.



Khushal also took a moment to remember the children who were brutally slain by terrorists. “Their hopes, dreams, laughter, naughtiness, innocent wishes and demands are all buried under the ground with their bodies.”

Hamza Khan Afridi, another student, says devastated parents visit the school daily with heavy hearts and pin pictures of their martyred children on the notice board. Others write emotional and inspirational messages on banners.

“Terrorists are our enemies. They want to wreak havoc in the country, but we will not let them. We’ll fight. We’ll not even budge,” he added.

“Look at this banner,” Afridi points out. “’I want to grow up, not to blow up’ is the message inscribed on it,” Khan says, adding students didn’t deserve this fate. “They wanted to grow up, enjoy life and spread the light of education to every nook and corner of the city.”

Ghulam Mujtaba says his younger brother Muhammad Mohsin Murtaza of grade eight was killed when he went back to rescue his sister. “My brother was in the auditorium on that ill-fated day. He succeeded in getting out of the hall, but he later remembered his younger sister was still in the school. He went back again but never returned.” Mujtaba said his brother may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2015.