Pictured, the pals who died together
TWO best friends who perished together in the massacre were last night being mourned by their classmates.
Mubeen Afridi and Rafiq Bangash, both 15, were killed in a hail of bullets and bombs which left 148 – most of them teenage boys – dead.
Mohammad Yassin, 16, survived the deadly assault and last night posted a photo of himself with the pair on his social media page, with the words: ‘Friends uplift the soul.’
The cover photo on Mubeen’s Facebook page read: ‘We are a nation of beauty and great grief. Our smile is much stronger than your gun.’
A Facebook memorial page set up in his name had attracted more than 20,000 likes just a few hours after the atrocity. Mubeen’s uncle, Anwar Afridi, said: ‘What evil have we done for a boy like that to be killed?’
Pupils told yesterday how their 24year- old teacher tried to protect them, only to be doused in petrol and torched in front of them.
Irfan Ullah, who was shot in the chest, said Afsha Ahmed, one of the youngest teachers at the Army School in Peshawar, had given her life to save theirs.
He said: ‘The [gunmen] entered our classroom as we were sitting with our teacher. She seemed to understand what was going on before we did because she immediately stood up and prevented the terrorists from targeting us.’
Speaking from a bed in Peshawar’s crowded Lady Reading Hospital, the 15-year- old said Miss Ahmed told the gunmen she would not let them shoot her pupils. ‘Her last words to the terrorists were “You must kill me first because I will not see my students’ bodies lying in front of me”,’ he said. ‘She was so brave.’
Despite her bravery, he said, the gunmen threw petrol at her.
‘The next thing we knew, she was on fire,’ Irfan said. ‘Even while burning, she shouted at us to run away and find refuge.’
The school’s principal, Tahira Qazi, was killed in a bathroom adjoining her office, where she had locked herself in when she heard the sound of gunfire. A gunman threw a grenade through an air vent.
It is believed she was targeted because she is married to a retired army colonel, Kazi Zafrullah.
‘Our smile is stronger
than your gun’