10.41 AM Tuesday, 19 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 05:07 06:20 12:29 15:54 18:33 19:47
19 March 2024

UAE residents unite at candlelight vigil for victims

UAE residents light candles during a candelight vigil in Dubai, in honour of those killed in an attack by Taliban insurgents on a school in Peshawar, Pakistan. (Bindu Rai)

Published
By Bindu Rai

Hundreds came to pay their respects for the fallen in the Peshawar school massacre that left 141 people dead, most of them children, in Pakistan’s deadliest terrorist attack.

In a candlelight vigil held at the residence of Pakistan’s Consul General to Dubai, diplomat Javed Jalil Khattak said even in the face of this tragedy, his country’s greatest strength was its resilient spirit.


Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Khattak said: “Our greatest strength is that even at a time of calamity, people have come out showing such spirit; it is heartening. This is a huge tragedy we just experienced. Yet, the number of people that have asked us what can we do to help. That is our strength.”

He continued: “Nobody stands here a coward. We say, you want to put us to the test, then we will pass the test and rise higher.”


Khattak’s words came even as two bomb blasts struck a girls’ college in Pakistan’s Khyber Province, south of Peshawar.

No injuries have been reported in the second attack, even as 118 miles away grieving parents bury the 132 children that were brutally murdered by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, which has claimed responsibility of the terrorist charge that also left nine staff members dead.


The Consul General to Dubai stressed that the government of Pakistan was working towards swift justice in this moment of crisis.

“Our Chief of Army has travelled to Afghanistan, where most of the leadership of TTP resides. He has gone with a certain proposal and the government will take swift action against this heinous crime; we will bring those to justice,” stated Khattak.


He added: “No words can express the sorrow. We can’t undo what’s been done, but if we are united, we know the direction to take. And God willing, kids will go to school once again without parents worrying for their safety.”

Mourning the departed


The outpouring of grief was mixed with emotions running high as UAE residents lit candles and wrote messages in remembrance of the fallen 141.

Dubai-resident Farwah Khataw said: “I feel numb from the pain. We are all here to show solidarity to the parents who have lost their young children. We share their sentiment of rage against this barbaric act.


“We have spent years trying to combat the face of terrorism, and this latest attack has given us the biggest blow yet. But in face of this tragedy, we see hope. The world is standing by us and we will not give up; their deaths will not be in vain. Humanity is not dead yet.”

Saleem Usmaan called the attack Pakistan’s ‘Pearl Harbor’, adding: “If this doesn’t unite us, nothing ever will.”


Lawyer Ahmad Haider stated: “This is the acid test for our nation and where we go from here will define the path for our nation. This is the time for action and not just reaction.

“We cannot sit on the fence anymore. We must decide the good and the bad and educated people such as ourselves need to take a clear position or forever suffer in a nation’s identity crisis.”


Indian national Ali, who was one of several attending the vigil from Pakistan’s neighbouring country, said: “As a representative of my country, I give my condolences to all those who have been affected by this tragedy. We are one community, rising above any religious barriers to condemn these killers.

Bahrain residents and social activist Sadia Sarwar, present at the vigil, said: “I am a resident of Bahrain, in Dubai for a work conference with my brother. But when we heard of this tribute, we couldn’t keep away.


“Watching these people around us, the tears flowing, all I can say is that we must work towards a prestigious Pakistan. This is a wakeup call, a global wakeup call, to unite as one and keep the world safe for our future generations.

“Our children should not be subjected to horrors that see them put on their uniforms in the morning and return home in coffins.”