The attack on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar on 16 December 2014 is one of the darkest moments in Pakistan’s history, in which more than 140 people, including children, lost their lives.
Many survivors of the attack, including students and teachers, suffered physical and emotional trauma that continues to affect every aspect of their lives to this day.
Muhammad Akif Azim is also counted among these survivors. Narrating his story, Akif said that he had a chemistry exam on the day of the attack. Akif was present in the washroom of the school during the attack. During this time, they heard the sounds of firing, but according to Akif, they did not pay much attention to it.
According to Akif: ‘Of course, soon those voices began to come closer. It wasn’t long before I found myself face to face with an attacker.’
Akif said that the assailant fired ‘seven bullets’ at him but he luckily managed to avoid all of them.
Akif says that by the end of the day, he helped rescue 37 injured people.
He then went to CMH Peshawar where the dead and injured were being taken. After perusing a list of names, he realized that he had lost 17 of his comrades in the attack, four of whom were his childhood best friends.
Akif says that he suffered severe depression after the attack. Soon he realized that he needed to see a psychologist. He consulted a local therapist who helped him come out of the trauma.
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This is where Akif’s interest in the field of psychology arose. After undergoing this phase of therapy, Akif did his graduation in Clinical Psychology from Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute, Islamabad.
Having worked with various agencies and organizations as a social worker and psychologist, Akif aspires to create a platform in Pakistan that caters to the psychological needs of traumatized people.
Akif was also honored with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) ‘Our Heroes’ Award in the year 2022 in appreciation of the same efforts.
Akif wants through his platform that traumatized people can support each other because, according to him, ‘only those who have been through such situations themselves can understand how difficult it is to heal their wounds and To take them with you.’