Jordanians, guests pay tribute to victims of Pakistan school massacre

AMMAN — Scores of Pakistanis, Jordanians and other foreign nationals have been flocking to the Pakistani embassy in Amman since Thursday to pay their tributes to the victims of last Tuesday’s Peshawar school massacre carried out by Pakistani Taliban gunmen, who killed more than 145 people, most of them children.

On Thursday and Sunday, the embassy’s doors were open to the public to pay their respects. The Pakistani community held a prayer vigil at their country’s mission on Friday, according to a senior embassy official.

“This is a tragedy of epic proportions,” said Pakistan’s Ambassador to Jordan Ahsan Azhar Hayat.

The perpetrators of this attack “are sick, they have no heart and they have no religion. It’s unforgivable and it’s unforgettable. And we will get them. I don’t think there is any other nation that is as resilient as Pakistan.”

For Rasha Halawani, a Jordanian, the first thought that came to her mind when she heard the news of the massacre was that of the victims’ mothers.

“I am so proud of the teachers and the people who stood bravely and tried to protect the children. I pray these innocent children will be birds in heaven,” Halawani said.

“Hatred and violence are always terrible, but when terror is inflicted on children, the horror reaches yet another dimension. May God grant the human race [the ability] to make better and more loving choices to help each other and support one another,” read one entry in the embassy’s condolence book.