Pakistan, Oct. 19 -- Every morning, mothers send their children to school with a kiss, a prayer and the hope of seeing them return with stories of lessons learned and dreams taking shape. But for the families of 34 children killed in the collapse of Alkhair School in Peshawar's Dir Colony, one ordinary Thursday morning shattered that promise forever. Among those who never returned home was 11-year-old Sanan Asad, whose dream of becoming a police officer ended beneath the rubble of a three-storey building that collapsed at around 8:45 a.m.

His schoolbag, books and uniform remain painful reminders of a future that will never unfold, while his mother struggles to comprehend the loss of a son she expected to see again within hours.

"Sanan w...