107 schools renamed after each child killed in Peshawar massacre,
Islamabad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Pakistani authorities have renamed 107 schools across the country with the names of the victims of last year's massacre that targeted a school in Peshawar. Almost 150 people were killed, most of whom were students under 14 years of age. Islamabad announced its decision on March 6.
On December 16, 2014 a commando affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacked a military school in Peshawar (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province), killing 148 people, including 132 children between 7 and 14 years of age. The Taliban said the attack was in revenge for Pakistani army offensives in the northwest regions, along the border with Afghanistan, the historical strongholds of Islamists, which had caused the death of over 1,200 militiamen.
The massacre
was strongly condemned by the whole of society, by leaders of the Catholic
Church of Pakistan - in the strong interventions made by the bishop
of Islamabad and the Archbishop
of Karachi - as well as by the international community.
In the attack Khalid Khan lost his son Daud. "A school in my village - he
explains - a suburb south of Peshawar, now bears my son's name. I went there as
a child, today Daud's cousins: I feel proud that it bears his name".
Tufail Khattak,
whose son Sher Shah was killed in the attack, said that "the move is a way
to remember the martyrdom of these children forever "
The commandos had orders to shoot and cause the greatest number of victims.
Shiraz Khan, a student who survived the attack, said: "We were in class
when we heard some shots and explosions. Our teacher told us to lie down on the
ground, under the chairs and desks. As soon as someone tried to move, he was
hit by bullets. There was blood everywhere".
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