PESHAWAR, Dec 19: Niazbeena, in her 30s, hailing from Zakhakhel tribal area of Khyber Agency, never knew her life would change forever by one tragic incident when she happily got ready for her journey home on Monday (Dec 17).

She had applied henna on her hands and was wearing electric blue and golden clothes. She had taken care to look good on the day which turned out to be the tragic day of her life. She also got her two children Shakir, 4, and Noorya, 3, ready. She was going to her own home in Bara after a 20-day stay at her mother’s house.

She knew her husband, Janbaaz, would be waiting for them. Janbaaz, a coach driver, had called earlier and told her that he would pick them at Jamrud Bazaar. She did not know that would be the last time she would see him.

She and kids were happy to see him. He picked them up, hugged kids and bought them fruit as other passengers were loading their luggage in the van.

“All of a sudden I heard a blast, and my husband standing on my right side was dead as his head came down on my shoulder. I looked at my children who were covered with blood. I cried for help as I saw fire and dead all around me,” narrates Niazbeena with tears rolling down her cheek.

The car bomb blast in Jamrud market on Monday left 21 dead and about 43 people injured.

Married to Janbaaz for about 14 years having five kids and living a simple life – all were gone in one incident.

“I don’t know how my children are going to live without their father,” says Niazbeena with hoarse voice due to too much pain and grief.

Sitting around her bed in the orthopaedic and spine injury ward of Hayatabad Medical Complex Hospital, grief-stricken mother of Niazbeena said that she was shocked when she heard about the incident.

Though a simple village woman from tribal area where military and militants are fighting, she now wonders what was their fault to have suffered this much pain and loss.

“We don’t have any enemy, but Allah Almighty would punish those who kill innocent women and children,” she said.

But Niazbeena neither wants to curse anyone nor holds anyone responsible; she is in too much pain to think of hurting anyone.While the mother and daughter were grieving over the family’s tragedy, Niazbeena’s brother Kamil entered and brought her sweets (jaleebi). The guy could afford only a little sweet to comfort his sister.

“I wish I was the one sitting there instead of her. I wish I could take her burden and loss,” Kamil said feeling the pain his sister was going through.

He said that it was only a miracle that she was alive since the vehicle in which she was sitting with her kids was totally burnt. He says his family hailing from Zakhakhel was forced to live in a conflict zone since they were not registered as IDPs and they could not afford to rent a house in city.

“Many poor people like us are forced to live in a dangerous area, risking our lives and families because we have nowhere safe to go,” he said.