- Pakistan marks the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack on Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar.
- Prime Minister Imran Khan has declared his commitment to rid the country “of all forms of terrorism, violence and hatred”.
- The attack took place on December 16, 2014 killing 141 people, including 132 schoolchildren.
- Khan stated that education was the only weapon with which they could defeat extremism and terrorism.
- Social media users in the country remember those who died on the day.
Dubai: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan declared his commitment to rid the country “of all forms of terrorism, violence and hatred”.
It was part of a statement issued by him to Pakistani media outlets on the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack on Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar.
On his official twitter account, @ImranKhanPTI, Khan posted: “Today, as we remember and pray for the survivors and the victims’ families, especially the parents, of the Peshawar APS terrorist attack, my government commits itself to fully implementing National Action Plan (NAP) to rid Pakistan of all forms of terrorism, violence and hatred.”
The attack took place on December 16, 2014 killing 141 people, including 132 schoolchildren. All six militants who were involved in the attack have since been executed, according to Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan Army’s media wing.
The tragedy led to the formation of NAP to stem extremism and terrorism in the country.
Khan also stated that education was the only weapon with which they could defeat extremism and terrorism permanently, according to a report published in The News International, the largest English language newspaper in Pakistan.
A video clip was also shared on Khan’s official Instagram account, in which his statement is being read out by a news reporter.
The caption reads: “Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated the nation’s commitment to national, regional and world peace despite giving numerous sacrifices in blood and sweat in war against terrorism. He expressed the government’s commitment to turn Pakistan into a society, which will not tolerate extremism and violence in the name of sect, religion, language, colour, ethnic origin or any other.”
He also shared an image of himself from December 16, 2014, which shows him speaking to families of the victims, surrounded by military personnel. The caption reads, in Urdu: “We haven’t forgotten.”
The citizens of the country also took to social media to remember the lives lost, with the top trends in the country all being related to the attack. #NeverForget, #APSPeshawar, #APSMartyrs and #APSAttack are some of the hashtags being used, which collectively have around 60,000 tweets at the moment.
Tweep @KazmiWajahat posted: “Even after four years of the heart-wrenching incident of #APSAttack, the pain and memories are still fresh with us. We will ensure to #NeverForget and never forgive those who planned and perpetrated this attack. An incident like #APSPeshawar should happen #NeverAgain.”
@PervezKhattakPK tweeted: “December 16 always brings back the saddest memories, that agony is beyond words. Will never forgive, will never forget. #APS16DEC2014 #APSMartyrs”
Tweep @itsasfandch added: “We will never forget the martyrs of APS Peshawar attack. My heart still breaks when I think about that day. My condolences are with the families who lost their stars that day! #APSPeshawar #APSMartyrs #NeverForget #APSAttack #16Dec #BlackDay”
There were also some personal stories being shared on Twitter by family members of those who died in the attack.
Ahmad Nawaz, who lost his brother in the attack and is a survivor himself, posted on his twitter account @Ahmadnawazaps: “Four years since the cowardly attempt by terrorists to demoralise us. They killed my brother, friends and shot me. But they forgot about our resilience and they failed. While our armed forces are fighting them, urge the whole nation to step up and work for a prosperous and peaceful Pakistan.”
Naveed Ahmad Khan, who was present at the hospital in Peshawar where the injured were brought in, also recalled the events of the day.
On his twitter account, @NavidAhmadKhan, he wrote: “The day of the #APSPeshawar massacre was very difficult! Spent the whole day at Lady Reading Hospital and saw with my eyes the beautiful flowers and security personnel being brought in. Covered in blood I still remember one jawan (soldier) holding on to his pistol while on bed. Peshawar was completely dead for the next coming days. It was like every house in the city had a lost a loved one in the massacre. Every heart was sad!”
