Unfazed, survivors return to APS

Army chief greets, hugs students who strike a defiant note

PESHAWAR:

Children streamed back to school across the country on Monday after an extended winter recess in the wake of the December 16 bloody rampage by Taliban gunmen at the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar that killed 150 people, including 132 students.

At the APS, survivors of the methodical massacre returned to their studies, some still wearing bandages. Army chief General Raheel Sharif and his wife travelled unannounced to the school to attend the reopening ceremony.

Extraordinary security greeted the students and their parents at the school. Army soldiers were seen at the main entrance, where an airport-style security gate was installed and only students and their parents were allowed inside.

Elevated boundary walls with barbed wire fencing have been put in place in the school which has undergone a complete renovation to remove all traces of the deadly attack described as the worst-ever in the country’s history. Pictures of the martyred students and teachers were displayed everywhere in the school.

At the main entrance, the army chief, along with the new principal of the school, Azra Yasmeen, greeted the students. Gen Raheel and senior army officials also attended the morning assembly and recited the national anthem with the students. He appreciated the courage of the students and their parents and assured them of full security.

“The army chief didn’t make a speech but individually met the parents and assured them they would eliminate the terrorists from the country,” a security official told Reuters.

The students visited their classes, met their classmates and recounted how the Taliban gunmen moved from class to class hunting for students and teachers. However, undeterred by the catastrophic tragedy, many of the students struck a defiant note.

“We can never forget that bloody day. But no one can stop us from getting education. We’re here to show the enemies of education that we haven’t lost courage,” sixth grader Ali Sher told The Express Tribune outside the school.

Eight-grader Humayun Khan said he was a little scared in the morning but after meeting his friends at the school, his confidence has boosted. “My younger brother, who was injured in the attack, has also come to school today,” he added. “We will continue to seek education here and nothing can scare us away.”

Sarfaraz, who survived the bloody attack with the help of a guard, was asked to join class 8th D while in the past he used to be in 8th E. “When I entered my class where the pictures of all students are pasted on the walls, I realised that at least 12 of my classmates were not among us,” said Sarfaraz.

“Nearly every section has lost around a dozen students and I’m not sure but it seems that some of the sections have disappeared altogether,” he said.

Sixth grader Osama also attended the reopening ceremony along with his father Mujeeb Rehman. “Those parents who had two or three children in the school and lost one of them cried throughout the morning assembly so did we,” he said, adding that two of his neighbours, Huzaifa Aftab and Hamid, had been killed in the massacre.

A teacher said rows of empty seats, especially in the 9th and 10th grade classes, had made the first day back at school a surreal experience. “Students were greeting each other and saying ‘You’re alive?’ They were taking their parents to different spots and explaining to them where they were during the time of the attack and how it happened,” he said, on condition of anonymity.

“Photographs of the martyred are pasted on a noticeboard in the school. Students and teachers were placing flowers in front of it and weeping,” he added. Parents spoke of having to sit down with their children and mentally prepare them for their return to the school.

“He was terrified but we talked him up. We cannot keep him imprisoned between four walls and we must stand against militancy,” Muhammad Zahoor said as he walked his son along Warsak Road.

“I want to go to school to see my friends. I will join the army after my schooling and will take revenge,” said Muhammad Zaid, his son.

But some parents, especially those grieving their children, stayed away from the reopening ceremony, saying it was too painful for them to go back to the school. “Yes I was invited to the function and meeting with the army chief. I couldn’t dare to go to the school where my sweet son was ruthlessly killed,” said one father.

“It feels like my son died once again today. When I saw other children going to schools it reminded me of my son. I went to his room and helplessly sat in front of his school bags and school dress.”

Like APS, all educational institutes in the province reopened on Monday. Provincial ministers and senior administration officials visited some schools to review security arrangements. They directed administrations of private schools to enhance security at their premises. An official said eight-foot high walls were being built around public schools in Peshawar as part of enhanced security, with hundreds of residents volunteering to protect schools.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2015.