Under the patronage of H. H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Hamdan Bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, 146 survivirs of that traumatic event arrived at Terminal One of the Dubai International Airport, for a four day trip to the UAE last Thursday.

The students were invited to the inauguration of the new Pakistan Super League (PSL), where they would meet some of cricket’s biggest names, Pakistan’s international T20 captain Shahid Afridi.

The following day they would witness their home team play, and win, their first match of the tournament, defeating Islamabad United.

However, things were to get better for the youngsters, who on Monday had the experience of a lifetime – playing against Afridi’s PSL team, Peshawar Zalmi, in a charity beach cricket match hosted at SkyDive Dubai and sponsored by the UAE-based energy drink Moto.

Mohammad Awada, CEO of Moto said: “It is almost unimaginable to think about what these children have been through. Moto wanted to help make this a memorable visit and we were more than happy to support such an exciting and worthwhile initiative.”

Shahid Afridi added: “It means a lot to put a smile back on the faces of these kids.”

The students, many of whom are still traumatized by the events of December 16th 2014, returned home after enjoying an action-packed stay in the UAE, which also included a trip to Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi.