“The attack on Army Public School was a life changing moment
for me. It channelized my energies and made me clear (about) what I want to do
in life. Whatever I am today is because of December 16,” said Aakif Azeem, a
survivor of the Army Public School, Peshawar attack of 16 December 2014, while
speaking to The Nation.
“Soon after the attack, we had no option but to give the
final exams. That was one torturous task. It was hard for all students to
recover so early and get back to studies, but we still gave our exams. When the
results were declared none of us was satisfied, rather we were worried if we
would be wasting a year with such low marks,” Aakif Azeem recalls those days. “Those
days were one of the most testing ones after the attack for the F.Sc class. I
was disheartened in the beginning and was wondering what I should do, but all
of a sudden the clouds of darkness shed away and I got admission in Peshawar
University.”
About the initial days in Peshawar University Aakif said, “I
knew that people would ask me questions but I just did not want to answer them.
It took me a week or so to get used to it and then I got (the) strength to
speak about it. I didn’t bottle it all up (rather) I would talk to people very
easily.”
Talking of his first day in class, he said that Chemistry is
his weakest subject and the examination and the subject itself are the thing he
remembered of that unfortunate day. So when he went to his new class it was
hard to start studying again but then he realized ‘life has to move on’ he
can’t remain stuck on December 16, 2014 and he can proudly say, he topped the
midterms.
Aakif speaks about his friends he lost in the attack with
sad feelings, “I lost seventeen friends. It is like a big hole in my chest and
it will never be filled. They were not only my friends but they had dreams and
desire to live. If I am alive that means I have a purpose (that is), to carry
on their legacy. I will take their dreams forward and live for them.”
Aakif Azeem a survivor of APS speaks about his future plans
and says that Pakistan is being pulled into depression, but his aim is to keep
spreading positivity. He has realized that there is nothing more important than
Humanity. No matter what race, religion or creed one belongs to, one has the
right to live. The present atmosphere is full of hate, but he has to spread his
share of positivity.
Aakif is writing a book which he started penning down about
two months after the school attack. The story revolves around the theme that
religion is second to humanity, and speaks of how a teenager spends his life in
Pakistan in the current security threat scenario.
Aakif Azeem is lucky to have an outlet for his energies and
channel his work constructively. He plans to be a role model for the younger
students and youth in Pakistan, so that the despondency that they feel can also
be turned round to constructive work.
This article was published in The Nation 16 Dec 2015
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