Army Public School attack: Zahir Shah (gardener) – Age 40
Son of Zaz Muhammad & Yaghi Gul H/O Momina Bibi
Siblings: Muhammad Sharif, Abdur Rauf, Bushra Bibi, Khayal Muhammad, Muhammad Zahid.
Zahir Shah began working at the Army Public School a year before the Peshawar massacre. He served the school devotedly and would advise students to study hard when he interacted with them. His nephew Shafqat Sharif says Zahir had studied up to F.A. and couldn’t carry on due to financial problems faced by the family.
Zahir got married nearly 12 years ago and didn’t have any children but loved his nephews and nieces as his own kids. He was particularly close to his 4-year-old nephew Waqas and would look after him as his own child.
Although Zahir didn’t earn much, he was always mindful of the needs of his family and always tried to get other, better jobs.
Zahir enjoyed reading books. His nephew remembers how Zahir would select books from his shelf and read them. He also had a sound knowledge of the English language and would help his nephews and nieces in assignments.
A man who was content with the simple things in life, Zahir would spend much of his time watching the news and talking to members of his family. His nephew remembers him as a soft-spoken man with a kind heart.