ISLAMABAD: The 10th anniversary of the tragic terror attack at Army Public School Peshawar that claimed the lives of more than 140 people, 134 of them schoolchildren, was observed on Monday to pay tribute to the martyrs amid calls for continuing the war against terrorism till complete elimination of this menace from Pakistan.
Special prayers and Quran Khwani were held for the martyred students and teachers of Army Public School.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have expressed firm resolve to continue war against terrorism till complete elimination of this menace from Pakistan.
In his messages President Asif Ali Zardari said the day of December 16, 2014 reminded the nation to get united against terrorism and increase their efforts to eliminate this menace. He said on 16th December, 2014 the terrorists attacked the future of our children and nation.
On this day, he said the terrorists mercilessly killed our citizens including our children, adding the terrorists showed their animosity towards public by attacking teachers and children. Attack on the children was cruel and against humanity, he added.
The President said the tragedy of APS made it clear that agenda of the terrorists was to create chaos and anarchy in the country. The day of December 16 left unerasable imprints on the collective memory of the nation, he continued.
Zardari said that our sympathies were with the heirs of the innocent children. This day reminded of the sacrifices of the nation in the war against terrorism, he remarked, adding the incidents like APS tragedy exposed the real face of terrorists and Khawarij and the Pakistani nation would not let the terrorists succeed in their nefarious designs.
The APS tragedy united the nation against terrorism. The history was a witness that Pakistani nation did not lose courage in the face of tragedies, he stressed. He said the political leadership of Pakistan also sacrificed in the war against terrorism, adding, “Today we pay tribute to the brave soldiers, security organizations and citizens for their sacrifices against terrorism. We will not let go in vain the sacrifices of our children, leaders and the citizens.”
He reiterated the determination to root out the remains of terrorism and extremism from Pakistan. “The international community have to make collective efforts to eradicate terrorism,” The President concluded.
In his message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the whole nation was standing against coward terrorists as a wall of fortified steel and will remain standing and would not forget the tragedy of attack on Army Public School, Peshawar on December 16, 2014.
In his message, the prime minister said today 10 years had passed after an unforgettable tragedy and loss of lives at Army Public School and “our heart is still in grief and we are shedding tears of blood”.
It was a tragic event which brought grief to our hearts, he remembered.
On December 16, 2014 coward, cruel and barbaric terrorists entered Army Public School and while causing death and destruction took away lives of 144 innocent children, he recalled.
He said most of the children who fell victim to this barbarity were small children who departed the world leaving people in grief.
Their lives, dreams, hopes and future were taken away from them, he said adding, “We cannot forget the loss of these children despite the passage of all this time.”
The prime minister said the small children faced unprecedented barbarism and cruelty and embraced martyrdom. The pain of the families and parents whose loved ones and children were taken away from them, could not be mitigated, he added. He said the nation should keep in mind that the fitna of Khawarij and other terrorists and anti state elements had nothing to do with the religion or the social values. These terrorists targeted innocent Pakistanis to achieve goals at the behest of enemies of the country, he added.
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