ISLAMABAD: On the 8th anniversary of Peshawar’s Army Public School (APS) massacre (Dec 16, 2014) which left 147, mostly students dead and hundreds injured grieved for life, parents of the students as well as the survivors of the attack took to the streets on Friday and held a peaceful rally remembering their dear ones.
The grieved parents blocked the Khyber Road for all types of traffic and described their loss still fresh and that they had been waiting for justice for the last eight years.
They demanded for a government announcement of a public holiday on December 16 and complained no minister or senior official came to attend an event in the memory of the children who were murdered by the Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) affiliated terrorists on the fateful day.
They commenced the protest march from the APS and walked to Warsak Road. The protesters wanted to talk to the Peshawar corps commander but were stopped by the police.
President shares photo of APS uniform
President Dr Arif Alvi said that even after eight years, memories of the poignant attack were “fresh in our hearts”.
“This day also reminds the world that terrorism is a common problem which needs to be addressed collectively,” the president concluded.
“Dec 16 will always remind us of the martyrs and their sacrifices,” a statement released by the President’s Secretariat quoted him as saying.
Grief not forgotten: PM
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a tweet also expressed the nation’s resolve and “iron will” to eliminate militancy, as the nation observes the eighth anniversary of the Army Public School (APS) massacre, where militants stormed a school in Peshawar and killed 134 children.
“Every year, December 16 reminds the entire nation of the pain and sorrow when terrorists carried out atrocities at the APS (Army Public School) Peshawar,” PM Sharif wrote on Twitter.
“Even after years, the grief is not forgotten,” he added.
The premier added that December 16 was a day for a country should remain united against the menace of terrorism. “This struggle of ours is going on and will continue with the same iron will and perseverance until the complete elimination of this monster from this country,” he said.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet on Friday described 16 December a day when “one of the most horrific acts of terrorism in our history happened - the attack on innocent children of APS Peshawar & their teachers. It is also the day when we came together as a nation & resolved to take on & defeat terrorism.”
The deadly attack
A group of heavily armed militants belonging to the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) faction on December 16, 2014 stormed the APS building and killed children and staff members. The incident took place in a high security area in Peshawar in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Later, the mastermind of the APS massacre, Umar Mansour, alias Khalifa Mansour, alias Umar Naray, was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan and the Parliament of Pakistan unanimously approved the formation of military courts for speedy trials of the hardcore terrorists.
