Ahmad Nawaz who survived deadly attack on his school has become president of the Oxford Union debating society.
In 2014, Ahmad Nawaz was shot and was seriously injured in Peshawar in December 2014 by Pakistani Taliban. In the attack his brother 130 school students were killed.
He successfully got enrolled into Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford University in 2020 to study Philosophy and Theology.
News agency quoted the 21-year-old as saying, “It’s been a very tough journey.”
Mr Nawaz was 14 years old when the Pakistani Taliban massacred students at an army school in Pakistan’s north western region. 141 people were killed in the attack including his brother Haris.
Mr Nawaz told the BBC at the time that despite being wounded in the arm and in pain, he “played dead to survive the attack.”
He was in the hospital for weeks before being transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for emergency surgery.
Mr Nawaz stayed in the city and went to Edgbaston’s King Edward’s School.
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He stated he was “very proud” of his decision to continue his education at Oxford.
“I feel like this is a success not only for myself but for all the other people who got shot in that attack,” he added.
He went on to say that being voted as the president of the university’s society was “extremely emotional.”
“It was a shock in the sense that I was in disbelief at the result,” he further said.
“I come from a background where so much has happened in last six years of my life, points where I didn’t think I would be at this university, but being elected president is a surreal experience which still hasn’t sunk in.”
“Your life will pick back up and if you are determined to make a difference then do something.”
Mr. Nawaz devotes most of his leisure time to his education and peace campaign, visiting schools to speak about his experiences and encouraging youngsters to be anti-terrorism and anti-radicalization.
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