Pakistan mourns Peshawar tragedy.

Pakistan was in a state of shock and grief as a countrywide shutter down and mourning day was observed while traders shut their businesses and educational institutions remained closed as a mark of grief over the death of 141 people, mostly teenaged students of the Army Public Schooland College (APSC) in Peshawar.



The national flag was hoisted at half-mast at all the government and semi-government offices in the country.The city of Peshawar was in mourning as funeral prayers for the students, teachers and other staff of the Army Public School and College, who were martyred in Tuesday’s terrorist attack, were offered amid moving scenes.



Two Gulf-based airlines announced to suspend flight operations to Peshawar apparently due to security concerns in the aftermath of the militants’ assault on the school. In the past also, several airlines had stopped flying to Peshawar after attacks on the civil-cum-military airport in the city and due to the incidents of firing from the ground on aircraft during landing.



Peshawar remained closed on Wednesday to mourn the deaths and injuries to a large number of children and staff members of the army-run school. Wednesday was the first day of the three-day mourning announced in the memory of those martyred and government offices and educational institutions remained closed. However, the city roads witnessed almost normal traffic.



The death toll in the incident rose to 146 after five among the critically injured lost the battle for life at hospitals. Some of the injured were still in a serious condition as doctors and nurses struggled to save their lives at the Combined Military Hospital and Lady Reading Hospital.



The first information report of the incident was lodged by the Counter-Terrorism Department on Wednesday and a high-level investigation team was also formed.The Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asim Bajwa, during a visit to the Army Public School and College told journalists that most of the children were martyred and wounded in the auditorium where they had gathered for an academic activity.



Hundreds of students of the school, relatives and villagers of Landi Arbab attended the funeral prayers of the school principal Tahira Qazi, who embraced martyrdom in the attack while protecting the students. She had been heading the institution since September 2006.



The Namaz-e-Janaza of the principal was offered amid tight security arrangements in and around the funeral ground in Landi Arbab.Funeral prayers in absentia of those martyred in the attack were offered at the Chief Minister’s House and attended by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Jehangir Tareen, provincial ministers and others.



“The attack on the school has jolted the whole country and has saddened the entire world,” Pervez Khattak said while talking to newsmen after the funeral prayers. He said the federal and provincial leadership would not remain silent on the heinous crime against humanity.



The chief minister said there would be no celebrations in the province during the three days of mourning. “Security personnel and health department officials will remain on a high alert,” he added.



Funeral prayers in absentia were also offered at the Services Ground. Elsewhere in the province also, funeral prayers for the deceased were offered at a number of places.Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq led the funeral prayers of two of the martyrs in the Gor Ghutri locality in Peshawar. Some of the dead had been buried the previous night but most of the funeral prayers and burials took place on Wednesday.

Dunya News.