Dubai: A funeral prayer was held in Dubai for victims of the Peshawar school attack in absentia at the official residence of the Pakistani consul general in Dubai on Wednesday.
About 120 men, some of them sobbing, took part in the short Muslim prayer, held on the lawn of Javed Jalil Khattak’s residence.
A few women and children, who laid wreaths and lit candles after the prayer, could also be seen in tears.
Normally, the funeral prayer is held with the deceased present, but it is also held in absentia in some cases.
Before sunset on Wednesday, Khattak lashed out at the attackers — Taliban gunmen who killed 132 children and nine adults during an attack on Tuesday — saying Pakistan “will get rid of their menace once and for all”.
He also praised the “unity of our people, as demonstrated by this gathering” in the aftermath of the deadly attack.
The attendees huddled into small groups after the prayer, discussing the tragedy and latest developments in the fallout.
Pakistan has seen its share of violence but the latest attack has brought out sympathisers and well-wishers among the Pakistani expatriate community — the second biggest group in the UAE — in a manner not seen previously.
Events similar to the gathering and activities on Wednesday have been planned over the coming days by Pakistani establishments in the business and education sectors.
Qayyum Khugani, Consul at the Pakistan Consulate, who was present during Wednesday’s event, said “the attack was an attack on humanity, not just Pakistanis or Muslims. I strongly condemn this outrage.”
Some Pakistanis from the wider community took turns to informally address the gathering in turns. A common thread in all the short speeches, including by a young girl, was a call to rise above “political differences or sectarianism”.
“Imagine if it was your child who was taken away, it’s sad this has happened to children,” she said.
Chants of “long live Pakistan” sporadically broke out during proceedings. A number of those present told Gulf News it was “very important” that the world understands that Pakistan is one of the “biggest victims” of “terrorism”.
