Nation remembers APS martyrs eight years after carnage

Peshawar: Pakistan is remembering the victims of its worse militant attack on the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar that left around 150 people martyred, mostly schoolchildren. 

On 16 December 2014, Taliban gunmen stormed the Army Public School in Peshawar. More than 150 people were killed, 132 of them children.

The deadliest attack in Pakistan’s history prompted the government to declare an all-out war against terrorist outfits.   

The massacre changed the perception of Pakistan against terrorism and people in the country raised their voices for uniform action against all types of militants.

The mastermind of the APS massacre, Umar Mansour, alias Khalifa Mansour, alias Umar Naray, was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan.

Following the attack, political parties and security departments formed a National Action Plan to stem extremism and terrorism.

Later, the Pakistani Parliament unanimously approved the formation of military courts for speedy trials of the hardcore terrorists.

According to reports, since the school attack, at least 1,584 terrorists were arrested and sent to jail. Apart from it, 167 high profile terrorists with head money were also detained or killed.

Eight years on— despite the counter-terrorism National Action Plan (NAP) that was chalked out days after the APS massacre and other security strategies—educational institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa remain a relatively easy target for militants. 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department has directed all schools in the province to hold special functions and prayers in connection with the heart-wrenching incident today. 

Meanwhile, in a statement, Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf said the pain of Army Public School Peshawar tragedy is still fresh in the nation’s heart.

He said the resilience and courage of the bereaved families and students of APS have reinforced the nation’s resolve to root out militancy in all forms and manifestations.

In her message on the occasion of 8th anniversary of Army Public School tragedy, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has said the nation has come a long way to defeat terrorism.

She said we are moving towards lasting peace and development in Pakistan.

The Information Minister said the nation has still not forgotten the Army Public School tragedy regardless of passage of eight years.

She said the cowardly militant elements attacked the future of nation and martyred the innocent children. She said nobody can hold back their tears while remembering this day.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said the 16th of December will continue to remind us of the great sacrifices of martyrs.