Attired in white and green school uniform and preparing to leave for a school who thought they would be the victim of the deadliest massacre of history. Who thought their homes would never blossom again with their laughs. Who supposed that day would leave the whole nation in a deep agony.
When the nightmare unfolded, the students had just returned from the recess hoping for the school to end so that they could go home. Who reckoned they would never come back again.
The heart of the nation is still in throbbing. The pain is still fresh as this massacre happened merely yesterday. However, it’s been two years, so far, nothing could cure the pain. Perhaps, nothing would ever cure this pain ever.
December 16, 2014, the day we all wish we could exclude from the history, took 144 precious lives of students and teachers of Army Public School whose absence would be forever painful.
Seven terrorists invaded in Army Public schools and brutally slaughtered 144 people, majority students aged in between 12-16. The teachers were burnt alive in front of their schoolchildren. Many of the pupils were shot as they hid under desks in their classrooms or crouched behind the chairs in the school’s auditorium.
“They told us to lock the doors of the classroom, so we did, and we lay down on the floor of the class with the children for around two hours. We heard a lot of firing, very loud firing, which went on continuously. We were terrified as we had never faced a situation like that,” said one of the survivors.”
The bravest act was shown by the students of APS at that time, when they have to save their own lives rather than helping others. But they depicted the true picture of courage by assisting others at the time of the attack. Prior to saving their own lives, the students and teachers were more concerned about their fellows and colleagues lives. Few of the undaunting tales were :
- Eighth-grader Uzair Ali saw the attackers and leaped to shield his friends by lying on top of them. He was killed; shot 13 times, but he managed to save his companions.
- Fourteen-year-old Fahad Hussain opened a door so his friends could run out. He stayed by the door, making sure everyone was evacuated. He was gunned down while doing so. Each of them played a heroic role.
There are several untold stories of Army Public School, which gave motivation to all Pakistan.
The terrorists shouted at the boys to recite Kalma before they shot them.
Andaleeb Aftab, Army Public School chemistry teacher
The nightmare only ended after nightfall as Pakistani army commandos went from classroom to classroom, checking that all the militants were accounted for. Nine died during the day, several blowing themselves up in the school. Seven soldiers were wounded in the deadliest mass murder. By the end of the day, the school’s concrete buildings were reduced to smoking rubble.
