December 16th; Darkness Descends By Yasir Shah

December 16th 2014. Like their fellow students across the country, the young children at Army Public School Peshawar got dressed and went to their beloved school, expecting it to be just another routine day. A day filled with back to back classes, assignments, and fun activities. These are the days that shape the lives of young people in schools across Pakistan. Fellow students become life-long friends, the gate-keeper becomes a trusted uncle, and teachers become part of their extended family.

These children went to school, like generations before them, in order to live and to learn. Some were following in the footsteps of their parents - some were the first from their families who were able to afford an education. Their parents worked hard in order to send their children to school, as they wanted to ensure their young children would experience the benefits of a strong education and make a lasting contribution to society.

These children were too young to understand the hatred that lurks across their country of birth. How could they be expected to dissect the complications of a disintegrating nation? And for that matter, why should they even be expected to do so? This was the responsibility of the elders within society to understand and manage, not innocent children.

Parents said goodbye to their children that fateful day on December 16th 2014, not knowing that their children, the country, and indeed the world was about to encounter the incredible ugliness of pure and utter evil.

Our children’s lives were cut down by those who can neither be counted as being representatives of any religion or faith not can even be considered as being a part of humanity. If the devil had any representatives on our soil that day, it came in the shape of the terrorists who killed innocent children and teachers at the Army Public School, Peshawar.

We cannot forget the cries of the Mothers who ran towards danger, as they desperately tried to enter the school and rescue their children. Nor can we ever forget the brave efforts of fathers, brothers and uncles who dashed towards the gates of the school and into harm’s way in search of their beloved children. Spare a thought also for the first responders who engaged the terrorists, and were the first to step into the auditorium which will never hear the laughter and chatter of innocent souls ever again.

The youngest and the brightest that this nation has to offer, were cruelly taken from their loved ones and the country by the forces of hate and evil. Our children can only be in a better place, for this we are sure. Yet, so many lives have forever been destroyed. Families have been broken apart, and parents have been dealt a blow from which any kind of recovery seems a distant dream, let alone a remote possibility.

As the children who survived the attack wept, the country and the world wept with them. As the parents of those who were killed broke down, we all broke down with them. As the funerals began across the city, our hearts broke yet again. Once again, we broke down. Once again, the tears continued to flow.

In the coming days, weeks and months life will continue in some way, shape or form. However for the parents of the innocent children who were the victims of evil in Peshawar, life came to an end on December 16th 2014. That is a painful and unfortunate reality, and one that any parent who has lost a child, or any person who has lost a loved one can relate to. For the remaining days they have in this world, parents will be shells of the people they were prior to the horrific tragedy in Peshawar. We as a nation, will never be able to look at any of our schools across the country without remembering the events of December 16th, and nor should we.

Today, we must finally stand up and be counted at this critical juncture. We owe it to our young children who we lost at the hands of evil, we owe it to their parents who are in a state of pain and despair that no one can even imagine, and we owe it to ourselves. Our past has been filled with pain, suffering, and innocent blood being spilled. Our present has shown us how low evil can go in its quest for destruction. Our future must be one of resolve, strength, and determination to do whatever it takes to eliminate every single force of evil from our soil.

To the law enforcement agencies and the Judges who have let terrorists walk free in the past, please reflect on the images of Peshawar and follow your conscience the next time you encounter a terrorist. Remember, this nation will no longer look the other way. To those in our society and corridors of power who have harbored and sheltered these despicable forces of evil, your days are numbered and your end is near.

Lastly, let us never forget those innocent souls who we lost in Peshawar. Let us never forget the dreams of young ones that were shattered nor the pain of the families who have been broken beyond repair. Let us make a promise to our Shaheed children and their parents that we will honor them by resolving to fight evil till we defeat it. To never shelter a terrorist again, and to ensure that we become a nation of peace and prosperity. This nation is breaking, and it is time we fix it – and fix it we shall.

by webmaster@insaf.pk (tkiadmin)