KARACHI: Seventeen-year-old Pakistani exchange student Sabika Sheikh, who lost her life in a mass school shooting incident in Texas, US, on Friday, was laid to rest at the Azeempura graveyard in Shah Faisal Colony here on Wednesday.

Earlier, her body was flown to Karachi after a day’s delay due to bad weather. Some family members, including her father and uncles, received the body at the airport at 4am following which it was brought to her residence in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block 10, while being provided special protocol by security personnel, including the Airport Security Force. Once at home, finally, her family and friends bid her a tearful farewell.

“She was my class fellow for 11 years,” Sabika’s friend Dua Waseem told Dawn. “We joined Karachi Public School in PECHS from nursery class and there had been a healthy competition between us for grades since then. Sometimes she stood first, sometimes I did but we never let this come between our friendship,” she said.

At Karachi airport, the remains of young student were accorded special protocol by security personnel

“I got to know about the shooting incident at Santa Fe School in Texas, where she was studying under the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Programme for the past 10 months, from a mutual friend on social media,” Dua said.

As Dua broke down, her father stepped in and said that he found his daughter crying and worriedly asked her what happened. “I knew Sabika’s parents. Our children go to the same school and have grown up together. Just like Dua was with Sabika, my younger daughter Soma is classmate of Sabika’s younger sister Saniya. We have crossed paths at many parents-teachers meeting over the last several years,” said Mohammad Waseem, the father.

“I couldn’t believe what my daughter was telling me so I called up Aziz Sheikh, Sabika’s father, who confirmed the tragic news by saying, “Yes, Sabika has left. She has gone very far away…,” Mr Waseem said wiping his tears.

Abdul Rasheed Khan, a colleague of Sabika’s father, said that every parent in the country who heard about Sabika had been unable to control his or her emotions. “They all get teary-eyed at the mention of her,” he said. “I have been here myself for the past five days now but I don’t know how to console my friend Aziz.”

“Right now the family has us all here. It will get more difficult for them after the funeral when the people go away. That’s when the reality will really sink in,” Mr Khan added.

Haji Mohammad Karim Pazeer, an elderly neighbour of the Sheikh family, quietly sat on the footpath watching people come and go. “Baita, I have watched many children grow up on this street, including my own grandchildren,” he said. “We came to settle here from Panjgur in Balochistan seven years ago, and Sabika’s family moved here some five years ago. My grandson Hamza plays street cricket with Sabika’s younger brother Ali. They attend the same school, too. May God give them the strength to bear this loss,” he said.

The funeral prayers were to be performed at Hakim Mohammad Said Ground, a few blocks away, at 9am. At 8.30am, as the coffin, draped in the national flag, was transferred to an Edhi ambulance to be taken there in a procession, some motorists, noticing people and media personnel gathered outside the little house stopped to ask what was going on. When informed, one man, who had his teenage daughter sitting next to him in the car, stopped to pay his respects to Sabika. His eyes were moist, too. “May no parents ever have to bury their child,” he said.

The funeral prayers were also attended by Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Governor Mohammad Zubair, Pak Sarzameen Party chief Mustafa Kamal, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Saeed Ghani and representatives of other political parties.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2018