Peshawar students battle shock, trauma

A number of parents have complained that their children were suffering from psychological trauma and insomnia following the gruesome attack

Five days after terrorists massacred over 140 students and teachers in a Peshawar school, the Pakistani city remains in a state of shock.

The worst hit are obviously the students -- those who survived the bloodbath at the Army Public School and even pupils in schools elsewhere in Peshawar, the Dawn newspaper reported Sunday.

Parents of students in the city are equally distraught.

"I have been seeing images of black shoes and pointed guns in my dreams," the daily quoted Arsalan Khan, a 14-year-old at the Army Public School, as saying.

Khan ran out of the classroom when we heard gunshots Dec 16 and hid in the bathroom.

"Later I came to know that two of my classmates were shot dead by terrorists. I am shocked why they targeted our school," he told the Dawn.

A number of parents complained that their children were suffering from psychological trauma and insomnia following the gruesome attack, the daily said.

Shazia Shehryar, a mother of three, told Dawn that her ninth grader daughter had refused to go to her school although it was far away from the Army Public School but on the same street.

"She is still shivering. We want to take her to a hospital but she resists that too," Shehryar said.

According to Dawn, even otherwise, due to deteriorating law and order situation, the activities of school students had been restricted in recent years.

"Many schools have stopped one-day trip for students for fear of untoward incident while students are also not allowed to enjoy inter-school sports competitions," it said.

Experts say the young in Peshawar in particular should not be allowed to watch TV channel visuals as well as social and print media that show gory details of the Dec 16 carnage.

Tariq Saeed Mufti, a noted psychiatrist, warned that some students may develop "disruptive, disrespectful or destructive behaviour".

"Older children and teens may feel guilty for not preventing injury or deaths. They may also have thoughts of revenge," Mufti said.