PESHAWAR: A special ceremony was arranged here to pay tributes to the students and staff members, who lost their lives in the attack on Army Public School on December 16, 2014.

The function was arranged by Gandhara Hindko Board other day. A book of English poetry titled “Carnage in December” was also launched on the occasion.

Composed by a noted poet and former chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ejaz Rahim, poems in the 120-page publication have been dedicated to all mothers.

It is the 20th book by the writer, a close relative of a brave police official, Safwat Ghayur, who was born in Peshawar on July 14, 1959 and laid down his life in the line of duty on August 4, 2010 while serving as commandant of Frontier Constabulary.

Speakers at book launch say the tragedy united the entire nation

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Deputy Speaker Dr Meher Taj Roghani of PTI, Jamaat-i-Ismali MPA Rashda Riffat, PML-N lawmaker Aamna Sardar, JI district council member Humera Nayyar and Qaumi Watan Party leader Meraj Humayun Khan attended the ceremony and spoke on the occasion.

However, the organisers declared all the grieving parents of the killed students as chief guests.

The senior most among the mothers of the APS attack victims, Zulekha Bibi, the oldest among the fathers of the slain students, Aslam Qureshi, and the youngest sibling of a killed student were seated on the stage along with poet Ijaz Rahim.

The invitation cards were printed individually and bore name and photograph of each student. The shields awarded to the parents had portraits of the students and date of birth along with addresses.

Mohammad Ziauddin, a Hindko research scholar, said on the occasion that sacrifice of APS students and staff members had become an unforgettable part of their history.

He paid tributes to the slain children and staff, saying the affected families were not grieving alone. “The entire nation shares your grief,” he told them.

Dr Salahuddin, a cultural activist, saluted the APS attack victims and praised the affected family members for their patience. He spoke high of Ijaz Rahim for his book of poetry.

Ijaz Rahim, who had travelled from Islamabad to attend the ceremony, said that it was his 20th publication. “I seldom attend functions arranged to launch my books. But this function was of a different nature and that’s why I am here,” he added.

Dr Meher Taj Roghani said that sacrifices APS attack victims united the entire nation. “It would secure our coming generations,” she said. She added that those, who believed in humanity, would never forget the supreme sacrifice of the APS students and staff members.

An Urdu and two Hindko video songs were also screened on the occasion to pay tributes to the APS attack victims.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2016