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As of today, three months have gone by since the attack on Peshawar's Army Public School. 154 people, mostly children, have lost their lives to the carnage.
In memory of those beautiful children, and to give support to the cause of peace in Pakistan, my friends and I – a team of nine Pakistani runners – participated in a major American half-marathon on the streets of Washington DC.
Joining 25,000 runners in an event of 13.1 miles (21.1 km), we ran through the major streets of the capital, passing in front of Capitol Hill, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and other important government buildings, before an estimated crowd of several hundred thousand spectators lining the streets to cheer the runners.
Also read: 16/12/14: Never forget
The heinous attack in December 2014 shook up the entire nation. Since then, Pakistanis have gone through different stages of trauma, anger, helplessness, and denial about what had happened.
Unfortunately the memory of this tragedy has begun to fade away.
We must not forget. We must keep the memories of those precious souls alive.
Over here, in America, the reaction of the Pakistani-American community has been overwhelming and people have turned out in great numbers to demonstrate solidarity and support.
A huge gathering of the Pakistani community in Washington DC condemned the attack. Civil society leaders, human right activists and journalists have publicly and repeatedly talked about the tragedy. My friend Dr Khalid Zafar arranged a vigil at City Hall, Philadelphia and while the attendance there was thin on a day with sub-freezing temperatures, the resolve to defeat terrorism was strong.
In my hospital, we had a moment of silence at the annual holiday party to show solidarity with the victims of the Peshawar attack. The Washington-based think tank, Wilson Center, held a panel discussion with knowledgeable participants about countering violent extremism in Pakistan, and the role of civil society in the country.
Many mosques, churches and other religious institutions had special prayers for the departed souls.
Read on: Peshawar Attack: ‘Some marks stay forever’
There is a special pride in running for a cause related to Pakistan. Our team captain, Agha Hussain, is a veteran runner and has completed 40 plus marathons in different parts of the United States. He always runs in a Pakistani jersey. He plans to finish a marathon in every state in America to spread the name of a tolerant and peaceful Pakistan.
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Agha’s message for this run was ‘Equality in Pakistan.’ Another participant, Sarish Khan, a law student ran for ‘Peace in Pakistan’. Mohsen Awan sprinted with the message of ‘Tolerance’ and Shoaib Khan rallied for ‘Education in Pakistan.’
Because we wore shirts with the message "Peshawar school attack, never forget" and held Pakistani flags, we were greeted with shouts of "Way to go, Pakistan", "Strong work, Pakistan" and "Pakistan for Peace".
We ran at an optimal pace so that our message could be conveyed to maximum onlookers. As we ran, we 'hi-fived' thousands of people; and exchanged smiles with them, as they pulled out their phones to take our photos and I was pleased to see the message of peace was going beyond the streets of Washington.
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I recall the Lahore Marathon, which was successfully conducted every year for three years before the organisers were forced to stop it because of extremist threats in 2007. Agha also organised a run in Lahore to introduce young athletes to competitive and recreational running as a sport.
Also see: 30 days: Honouring victims of the Peshawar attack through music
These healthy events, if revived, can provide a platform to promote peace, tolerance and harmony among all Pakistanis. It is heartening to see the civil society participate in initiatives to counter violent extremism by peaceful means.
Recently, I delivered a lecture on the psychiatric response to a disaster, based on my work in Muzaffarabad after the 2005 earthquake. My supervisor asked me what happened to the people who were displaced by the quake. With regret, I answered that a decade later, they stand forgotten.
I hope that 10 years from now, when I talk about the Peshawar attack, I have a better answer.
—Photos by author