As children began returning to schools across Pakistan weeks after the siege of Peshawar's Army Public School, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released a poignant musical tribute to commemorate the 131 children slain last month in the horrific attack.

With a young child’s voice lending melody to the lyrics, the song which was released on Monday conveys a message from a slain child to extremists in response to the massacre. The message is one of conviction and resilience; that the children cannot be frightened anymore.

The main verse of the song is also packed with emotion:

Main aisi qoum se hoon jis kay woh bachon se darta hai … Bara dushman bana phirta hai jo bachon se larta hai

I am from a nation whose children frighten him… Some enemy he is, he who targets children

The attack on the school resulted in widespread condemnation from national and international quarters with the government quickly scrambling into action. A National Action Plan was then developed in order to tackle the growing problem; the premier lifted the moratorium on capital punishment and the army chief rushed to Kabul to tie up with the Afghan security establishment in order to effectively tackle cross border attacks.

On the day of the attack, DG ISPR Major-General Asim Bajwa in a tweet quoted the army chief as saying that the terrorists had struck at "the heart" of Pakistan:

Focused on the idea that a war should never be against children, the lyrics of the song were penned by ISPR officials.

Aside from paying tribute to the lost lives, the song enunciates a direct message to the proponents of extremism that while 131 children were brutally deprived of their lives, their legacy remains alive and so do their friends and members of their families who will continue to study, struggle for justice on their behalf and make a difference in their varying, respective capacities.

The three-and-a-half minute long video shows the downcast but determined faces of children singing and holding posters that display slogans of conviction and solidarity. Some are shown returning to the school after it closed down owing to what is regarded as one of the worst acts of violence in Pakistan’s history.

The video ends with a principal welcoming the students back to school as they arrive in a school auditorium.

Following are some reactions to the song:

Complete lyrics and translation

Bata kia puchta hai woh, kitabon mein miloon ga mein

What is he searching for, I live on in books

Kiye maa se hain jo maine kiye waadon mein miloon ga mein

I will be found in the promises I made to my mother

Main aaney wala kal hoon woh mujhe kyun aaj marey gaa

I am the future, how can he slay me today?

Ye uska vehem hoga kay woh aisey khwaab marey ga

He has to be delusional if he believes he can kill such dreams

Tumhara khoon hoon na isliye acha lara hoon mein

I am your blood, hence I’ve fought valiantly

Bata aya hoon dushman ko kay us se to bara hoon mein

I have proven to the enemy that I am greater than him

Main aisi qoum se hoon jiske woh bachon se darta hai

I am from a nation whose children frighten him

Bara dushman bana phirta hai jo bachon se larta hai

Some enemy he is, he who targets children

To jab atey hue mujhko galey tumne lagaya tha

So when you hugged me as I departed

Amanallah kahan mujhko mera beta bulaya tha

You did not call me Amanallah, my son

Khuda kay amn ki raah mein kahan se agaya tha woh

How did he cross into God’s path of peace

Jahan tum choomti theen maa wahan tak agaya tha woh

He came as far as the spot where you used to kiss me, mother

Main aisi qoum se hoon jiske woh bachon se darta hai

I am from a nation whose children frighten him

Bara dushman bana phirta hai jo bachon se larta hai

Some enemy he is, he who targets children