Tahira Qazi (1 July 1951 – 16 December 2014) was a Pakistani educationist and principal of
Army Public School Peshawar who was killed in the
Peshawar school attack on 16 December 2014.
Early life and career
Tahira Qazi was born on 1 July 1951 in
Mardan, Pakistan
Mardān (Pashto and ; Urdu ; Pashto: ) is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (after Peshawar). It is a fast-growing ...
where she attended early schooling. She completed her
master's degree in English from
University of Peshawar
The University of Peshawar ( ps, د پېښور پوهنتون; hnd, پشور یونیورسٹی; ur, ; abbreviated UoP; known more popularly as Peshawar University) is a Public university, public research university located in Peshawar, Khy ...
and started her teaching career in the 1970s. Qazi married
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
colonel (now retired) Qazi Zafrullah in the 1980s. She was principal of
Army Public School, Peshawar since 2006 and was set to retire in May 2015. According to her students, she taught English.
Death
On 16 December 2014,
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan affiliated terrorists attacked
Army Public School Peshawar. During the attack, Qazi tried to protect the students and jumped forward in front of the
militants
The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...
and said, "I am their mother. Talk to me." She was then set on fire, allegedly in front of her students, for being the spouse of a senior army officer.
Qazi was laid to rest in
Landi Arbab
Landi Arbab (Pashto: () (formerly Sultan Pura: سلطان پورہ) is a village in Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan. The village is a 15-minute drive away from Peshawar International Airport and Peshawar Saddar. The village is largely populated by t ...
.
She was survived by her husband, a daughter, and two sons.
Awards and honors
Qazi was posthumously awarded by
Sitara-e-Shujaat on
Pakistan Day 2015 by President
Mamnoon Hussain. A conference room of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly
The Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is located in Peshawar, the provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 of t ...
was renamed after her, as the "Tahira Qazi Conference Room".
See also
*
School massacres
A school shooting is an attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of firearms. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple ...
*
Syed Hamid Hussain
On 20 January 2016, four terrorists opened fire at Bacha Khan University () near Charsadda, Pakistan. It is located in the Charsadda District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At least 22
*
Aitzaz Hassan
Aitzaz Hasan Bangash (1998/1999 – 6 January 2014) was a student from Pakistan who died on 6 January 2014 while preventing a suicide bomber from entering a school at Hangu village. More than 2,000 students were attending classes at the time of ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qazi, Tahira
1951 births
2014 deaths
Deaths by firearm in Pakistan
Crime in Peshawar
Pakistani school principals and headteachers
Victims of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
Mass murder victims
2014 murders in Pakistan
2014 Peshawar school massacre
21st-century women educators
University of Peshawar alumni