Peshawar APS attack: Bosnian envoy laments ‘inadequate world attention’

Says all lives should be equally respected; to record song for victims and survivors.

ISLAMABAD: Disgruntled by the reaction of world leaders, Dr Nedim Makarevic, ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said it was unfortunate that the world community did not pay adequate respect to the Peshawar massacre victims as they did to those killed in Paris.

In an interview with The Express Tribune, Makarevic said all world leaders had come out to support victims of the Paris killings, whereas Muslim children who lost their lives in Peshawar and many others who were still suffering did not get similar respect globally.

He said the reaction of world leaders was “shameful”, adding that “we should not have the perspective that someone’s life is more valuable than others.”

Makarevic went on a personal visit to the Army Public School (APS) last week. He also visited survivors at the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.



The envoy held meetings with senior officials of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government including the governor, chief minister as well as the provincial education minister.

Belonging to a country that has been battered by war and being someone who has directly been affected by war, he said when the Peshawar incident happened, he felt it was his duty to meet the children and their families.

“I had flashbacks of our war. I felt awful when I first heard about APS. I have seen war and have suffered from all of this,” Makarevic said.

“I was very pleased to meet the children who were recovering and were in high spirits. The vibe of resilience and courage was reflected through conversations I had with the people. I spoke about my struggles, how it made me tougher and led to a successful life,” he added.

Makarevic said the Bosnian media gave widespread coverage to the gruesome incident.

He said that although the Pakistani community in Bosnia was small, there was great support and a strong reaction by all Bosnians.

The Bosnian envoy highlighted that he was working on a recent collaboration with Pakistani musicians to record a song for the victims of the Peshawar school attack.

Makarevic will personally sing and play the guitar, mixing tunes with Pakistani musician Zeejah Fazli who will infuse tabla and rubab beats.

A rock-pop version will be made for the Western audience while a qawwali version will be recorded for Eastern audience.

“We want the tragedy to get worldwide attention and wake them up [create awareness about the issue] through music,” he said.

Speaking about challenges Pakistan is facing, Makarevic said the country was going through a difficult phase and it was important to focus on developing strong social systems.

Talking about the bilateral relations between the two countries, the ambassador said a number of agreements in various sectors such as defence, textile, surgical instruments and education had been signed between the two countries.

Makarevic mentioned that Bosnia’s first professor had also started teaching at the National University of Sciences and Technology.

He said the mission was also extending scholarships for Bosnian students to study in Pakistan.

The ambassador said although Bosnia was not such a big market but Pakistan had great potential after getting GSP-plus status, as Pakistani half-finished products could be completed in Bosnia and exported to the European market.

He said they wanted the Pakistani business community to invest in Bosnia.

The surgical instruments and textile industry had great scope in the European markets through Bosnia, he further stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2015.