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APS attack: The horrors and the horrors

06:13 PM | 16 Dec, 2017
APS attack: The horrors and the horrors
It's been three years since the APS attack but the wound is still fresh; it still hurts; the sadness is still strong, and to think about all those we lost and miserably failed makes my heart ache beyond anything. It makes me melancholic to think of that day and wonder: did they have a feeling about what was going to happen? Did they kiss their parents goodbye? Did they have a good look at their house, the roads and everything around? Did they hug their siblings one last time? Whom did they call for help when they were attacked?

I can't imagine the horrors they felt in their hearts; how they'd have tried to save themselves and each other; how they'd have tried to tell themselves it's going to be okay, someone would come and save them; how would they have felt when they were shot brutally, or where they hid? How much they had longed for just one more day, for another tomorrow.

I can’t imagine the hell the parents went through; how helpless they felt; how much they just wanted to go in and save their children; how they’d have hung on to the hope that maybe their children are safe. And I definitely can’t imagine the torment and hurt they went through when they had to carry the small coffins.

Three years since the attack but the trauma still lives and we continue to fail the martyrs, fail to conduct a judicial inquiry, fail to implement National Action Plan, fail to ensure no such incident would happen again.

When the incident happened, everyone cried, put up black display pictures, lighted candles, put flowers to the graves and paid tribute. I sat numb and ashamed. I couldn’t bring myself to write anything or do anything and I just kept thinking what tribute? You pay tribute to those who sacrifice their life or something they hold dear willingly, you don’t pay tribute to children you have failed; you don’t pay tribute to those who wanted to live, grow young and then old; you don’t pay tribute to those who weren’t even given a choice.

The state failed 149 souls, everyone sent some flowers and cried for a while, news organizations covered the story because at that moment it generated TRPs but nothing really happened. We grieved as a nation, forced the notion of courage and bravery on the parents, associated the pride with the failure and then forgot. We moved on to other issues of importance and non-importance and didn’t even bother to update the actual number of deaths on our websites.

I know my words sound clumsy and my narration bit random but they are depicting my state of mind; they are representing the feeling of loss and pain of those who have endured it; they are illustrating the horrors and the hopes of APS students and staff; they are lining the human context of a news narrative. I don’t know about any of you but for me, 16th December is the darkest day in the history of Pakistan and I will keep talking and writing about it in the most grieving way.

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Pakistani rupee registers marginal gain against US Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal and Dirham; Check forex rates

Pakistani rupee continued its momentum against the US dollar, and orther currencies in the open market on Thursday, as the local currency also improved in the inter-bank market.

Dollar Rate in Pakistan Today

On Thursday, the US dollar moved down and was being quoted at 283.2 for buying and 286.15 for selling.

Euro comes down to 308 for buying and 311 for selling. British Pound rate dropped to 358.5 for buying, and 362 for selling.

UAE Dirham AED witnessed slight drop and new rate stands at 77.4 whereas the Saudi Riyal remained stable at 76.

Today's currency exchange rates in Pakistan - 7 December 2023

Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 09:00 AM)

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar USD 283.2 286.15
Euro EUR 308 311
UK Pound Sterling GBP 358.5 362
U.A.E Dirham AED 77.4 78.1
Saudi Riyal SAR 76 76.8
Australian Dollar AUD 187.2 189
Bahrain Dinar BHD 757.23 765.23
Canadian Dollar CAD 209 211
China Yuan CNY 39.89 40.29
Danish Krone DKK 41.19 41.59
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 36.41 36.76
Indian Rupee INR 3.42 3.53
Japanese Yen JPY 1.39 1.45
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 921.71 930.71
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 61.02 61.62
New Zealand Dollar NZD 174.54 176.54
Norwegians Krone NOK 26.05 26.35
Omani Riyal OMR 739.62 747.62
Qatari Riyal QAR 78.22 78.92
Singapore Dollar SGD 211 213
Swedish Korona SEK 27.12 27.42
Swiss Franc CHF 324.94 327.44
Thai Bhat THB 8.06 8.21

Gold prices in Pakistan move down despite positive global cues; Check latest rates here

Gold price in Pakistan remained under pressure as the yellow metal moved down despite an upward trend in the international market.

Gold Rates in Pakistan Today - 7 December 2023

On Thursday, the price of a single tola of 24-karat gold stands at Rs217,100 and 10 grams of 24k gold costs Rs186,130. 

Single tola of 22 Karat Gold costs Rs199,000, 21 karat rate for per tola is Rs189,960 and 18k gold rate is Rs162,825.00 for each tola.

In the global market, gold prices hover at around $2026, gaining $8.30 on Thursday.

Today Gold Rate in Pakistan

Today Gold Price in Pakistan (4 September 2023)

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Karachi PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Islamabad PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Peshawar PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Quetta PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Sialkot PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Attock PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Gujranwala PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Jehlum PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Multan PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Bahawalpur PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Gujrat PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Nawabshah PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Chakwal PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Hyderabad PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Nowshehra PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Sargodha PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Faisalabad PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565
Mirpur PKR 217,100 PKR 2,565

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