Dealing with tragedy: Second APS group leaves for China

PESHAWAR: The second group of students who survived the horrific Army Public School attack last year left for an educational and recreational visit to China Thursday night. The 10-day foreign trip is part of a rehabilitation programme organised for students affected by the trauma of the December 16 bloodbath. During the trip, students accompanied by their parents and teachers will visit the cities of Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. A tour of Chinese historical sites is also part of the itinerary, according to a statement issued by the ISPR. Before the departure, the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad arranged a reception for the entourage and welcomed them warmly. Speaking on the occasion, Chinese Naval and Military Attaché Major General Qi Huajun said Pakistan and China were time-tested friends. “The people in China were deeply aggrieved by the loss of innocent lives in the terrorist attack,” he said. According to Huajun, the visits aim to express the Chinese people’s resolve that they will always stand with their Pakistani brethren.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2015.