Martyrs’ family members face depression, other health problems

PESHAWAR: The loss of their children in the attack on the Army Public School has left many parents with multiple health issues.

Some are suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes and mental disorders.Bereaved parents were advised by relatives, friends and well-wishers to seek doctors’ opinion for their persistent health problems including depression, lack of sleep, memory loss, etc.

According to health experts, some distressed parents lost and others gained weight by consuming extra food in depression.Jamal Nasir, 50, and his wife developed serious health problems after the loss of their 15-year old son, Shayan Nasir, in the terrorist attack on the army-run school on December 16, 2014.

Shayan Nasir was student of grade 10 at the school. He was the youngest among their six children.  “Being the youngest among his brothers and sisters, he was darling of the family,” his father recalled as tears rolled down his face.

“I can’t tell you how we spent the last year. I and my wife spent every day in mourning for Shayan,” he remarked. His wife had been suffering from mild blood pressure but Shayan’s loss made the disease worse and also made her suffer from acute diabetes.

Recalling the worst day of his life, Jamal Nasir said he was working in the office when he came to know about the attack on the school.He said: “I immediately came out of the office and started running towards the school. The school gates were closed and the security forces had arrived. I and other parents were running from one gate to another to enter the premises and save our children. Firing was still going on inside the school and we were told the injured are being evacuated through Gate 1. We waited there and were finally told to reach the Combined Military Hospital where all the bodies and injured are being taken.”

He said when he entered the main hall of the hospital his son’s body was kept third in the long line of the martyred children. “The most tragic scene in life is to see your child in a pool of blood in school uniform. This is unforgettable,” he added.

“I have become a heart patient. How can I forget my flower? Why did they snatch my child and children of many other people? What was their crime?” he questioned. According to Jamal Nasir, physics was Shayan’s favourite subject as he wanted to become a scientist.

“Shayan got 74 out of 75 marks during detention examination in the school. He wanted to study at the prestigious Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute in Swabi,” he pointed out.He said as a child Shayan faced problems making friends. “His mother used to tease him for not having friends and not going outdoors. As he grew older though he started making friends,” Jamal Nasir recalled.

Praising his late child’s talent, he said Shayan was a quick learner. Jamal Nasir narrated that Shayan’s teacher told him when he went to the school after the tragedy to collect his bag that his name had been listed among the boys who were being collected in a new class section for the most brilliant students.

He said Shayan was also fond of cricket and his favourite cricketer was Chris Gayle, the aggressive batsman from West Indies.Jamal Nasir said Shayan was regular in his prayers and used to go to the mosque for every prayer. “He had not missed the morning prayers during recent years. He used to remind me that we have to go to mosque,” he added.

“The morning after his demise, the alarm clock set by Shayan for Fajr prayers woke up every member of the family,” he said.Jamal Nasir remembered their last morning prayer together in the mosque. “He waited for me outside the mosque after prayers. He looked to the mosque for long as if he knew it was his last prayers there,” he said wiping off his tears.