WE recently had the martyrdom anniversary (Jan 7) of our national hero Aitzaz Hasan Bangash. The teenager, who belonged to Hangu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, set an example of bravery when he sacrificed his life by preventing a suicide bomber from entering his school at a Hangu village.

His act of unparalleled courage saved several lives as there were more than 2,000 students at the time of the incident.

Aitzaz embraced martyrdom at the scene, but no one inside the school was harmed, while he had asked his schoolmates to run away when the terrorist was about to explode himself.

Aitzaz’s father on his martyrdom proudly said his son made his mother cry but saved hundreds of mothers from crying for their children. Later, he was awarded ‘Sitara-i-Shujaat’, a civil award for gallantry.

Aitzaz’s courageous action echoed everywhere on social media, depicting the positive image of how brave our nation is. His martyrdom set the real and fine example of what bravery actually is. Our nation will and should never forget such real national heroes.

Malik Jodat

Lahore

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2021