Peshawar school attack: ‘Waseem was our pride and joy’

Family members find different ways to grieve 20-year-old APS student

PESHAWAR: New beginnings were in the offing for Waseem Iqbal. He was just a few months away from completing his Bachelors of Science degree at Army Public School and College (APS) and was planning on joining the army.

Unfortunately, the 20-year-old student’s aspirations were cut short by three gunshots. On December 16, Iqbal was killed in cold blood when terrorists stormed into the army-run school and brutally slaughtered 150 people, including over 132 children.

Iqbal was shot thrice and died on the spot.

Muhammad Arif Khan, his brother and assistant political agent (APA) of Frontier Region Peshawar, has dark memories of Iqbal’s death.



“I was on duty when I received a phone call about Waseem’s death,” he says. “I didn’t know how to react. In retrospect, I don’t even remember how I got home that day. It was all so unreal.”

The bereaved brother shares, “When our family reached APS, they were informed all victims had been shifted to the hospital.” He adds, “After a frantic search, they found my brother’s body at a hospital. I can never forget that day.”

Five stages of grief

Over a month after the massacre, the family is still struggling to cope with the tragedy. The pain of losing Iqbal looms large and has prevented them from putting the past behind them. A household which was once filled with fun, games and laughter now reverberates with silence.

Each of his family members is trying to come to grips with the loss in their own way.

“Death brings people closer, but it has pulled us apart,” says Khan. “All of us are dealing with the tragedy in a different manner. We seldom speak to each other.”

Khan says his father was finding it difficult to cope with the memories and has gone to Saudi Arabia to perform umra.

“The only way he could deal with Iqbal’s loss was by leaving,” he explains. “He thought a change of environment would help him come to terms with the tragedy. But he now wants to come back as the bad memories are still haunting him.”

Only forty days later, Iqbal’s mother remains inconsolable.

“She cries every day and after a while suddenly falls silent,” says Khan. “I don’t know how to give her any solace.”

Only dreams

Khan has fond memories of the good times he spent with Iqbal.

“Being the youngest, Waseem was our pride and joy,” he says. “He was a good son and an even better brother.”

According to the APA, his brother was quite intelligent and had passed his FSc exams with good marks. “He would have taken his last exam at APS in April 2015,” Khan says, holding back his tears.

“He always wanted to join the army. He was willing to sacrifice his life for his country.” In a family of two brothers and three sisters, Iqbal’s absence has been sorely felt, leaving a void which they all struggle to overcome.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2015.