Darkest Day for Humanity

 On December 16th, 2014, a group of Taliban militants launched a brazen attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan. In what would become one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country's history, the militants gunned down more than 140 people, including over 120 children.

For those who survived the horrific incident, the scars and trauma have lingered on for years. My class fellow is one of these survivors, and his story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

My class fellow , was a 12-year-old student at the Army Public School when the attack took place. He was attending a science class. Around ten in the morning, when he heard the sound of gunfire and explosions outside. At first, he thought it was just a drill or a training exercise. But when the firing continued and grew louder, he knew that something was very wrong.

He told me that there were some high-level exams going on earlier that week and his school was an exam center, so he was seeing a lot of new faces in the school. According to him, the terrorists probably entered the school at the same time and they estimated the school premises and traced the routes. That day they checked the school routes and then developed their inhumane plan. 

As panic spread throughout the school, He and his classmates tried to find shelter and hide from the attackers. They barricaded themselves inside a classroom, huddled together in fear as they listened to the sounds of screams, gunfire, and explosions outside. The terrorists were actually targeting the children in the auditorium. Eighth, ninth and tenth classes were present in the auditorium. And some of their events were going on there. He said the terrorists demanded the school principal to, 

Hand over only the army children to us and in return you can take all the other children.

Later, the principal of the school was burnt alive, he said. And not only the principal but many of his teachers were also burnt alive. Many children were brutally slaughtered outside the auditorium.

Many children were hiding in the bathroom with the doors closed. The person who was getting the place was hiding there. In those moments, He later told me, he felt a sense of complete helplessness and despair. He thought that he and his classmates were going to die.

The siege lasted for several hours, during which time the militants roamed the halls of the school, hunting down students and teachers alike. Many of the victims were shot execution-style, while others were killed in explosions or burned alive. The attackers showed no mercy to their young targets, many of whom were only in primary school.

For those who survived, the memories of that day have been seared into their minds forever. He recalls the horror of seeing his friends and classmates killed before his eyes, the chaos and confusion that reigned throughout the school, and the overwhelming feeling of grief and loss that followed. He told me that a child entered with his jaw hanging and the inside of his mouth exposed. He was covered in blood. 

He told me that the Taliban were wearing the same clothes as the army. So his teachers, who locked him and the other children in the room, were finding it very difficult to distinguish between the army and the Taliban.

He said that the door of the room where they were hiding had some iron bars. A bullet could have entered there. It was a very painful moment. 

He pretended to be dead when he told me that one of the kids there saved himself by lying down and his friend's blood got on his clothes. The Taliban were hitting the children's faces with their pointed shoes to gauge whether they were alive or dead. He said that at a moment, there was only a few steps between him and the Taliban, but the Taliban thought that no one was there. 

According to him, though he was rescued by the Pakistan Army in about one to two hours. But the operation continued for almost a day, the main Taliban terrorist managed to escape. But most of them were sent to hell by Pakistan Army.

Despite the trauma of that day, He and those students have not let it defeat them. 

Their resilience and determination in the face of adversity inspire me and remind me that even in the darkest of times, there is hope for a better tomorrow. And as we look back on the tragedy of the Army Public School attack, we must honor the memory of those who lost their lives by working towards a future where such senseless violence is no longer a reality. Salute to the bravery of those children. They proved that in the end humanity wins. Today we are studying in medical college, we are working hard to serve humanity and save their lives. That friend of mine is a living example of bravery for me. Believe me, it took me a lot of courage to write this article. And my fingers are shaking as I write this today. Surely the martyrdom of these children will not be in vain. May Allah raise their ranks. We will certainly not forget them. 

We must stand together as a global community against hate and intolerance, and strive for a world where every child has the opportunity to live a life free from fear and violence.

Thanks Alot for reading. 

— Anser Akram