On the seventh anniversary, the Prime Minister and other ministers paid tribute to the APS martyrs.
Shehbaz is confident that the government would prevail in its fight against terrorism until it is “eradicated from our territory.”
On the eighth anniversary of the devastating Army Public School (APS) attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the victims and stated that the world should take note of Pakistan’s significant sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
“Every year, December 16 reminds the entire nation of the agony and sorrow when the terrorists carried out crimes in APS Peshawar,” the PM wrote on his official Twitter account.
Shehbaz continued by saying that today is a day to remember the victims of the APS tragedy and to express sympathy for their loved ones. He continued, “The people of Pakistan will never forget the sacrifices of its martyrs.
The prime minister added that the fight against terrorism will go on until it is “eliminated from our soil.”
“The day for the entire nation of Pakistan to unify against terrorism is December 16. We are still fighting this battle, and we will keep fighting it until we have completely eliminated it,” he stated.
Maryam Aurangzeb, the information minister, also paid tribute to the martyrs and stated that even now, eight years after, we are still unable to forget the tragedy.
The minister claimed that “the cowardly wicked elements targeted the young children, the nation’s future, and martyred them.”
She underlined that the APS martyrs had unified the country in its fight against terrorism and declared that “this day will always remind us of the noble sacrifices of the APS martyrs.”
“As a country, we’ve made progress against terrorism. We are making progress in Pakistan toward long-term peace and development, the minister said.
Meanwhile, Rana Sanaullah, the interior minister, expressed his sadness over the APS tragedy and prayed for the victims, calling it one of Pakistan’s saddest moments in history. He continued, “The sadness is still raw.”
“Brutal terrorists killed innocent youngsters who were underage during their attacks. Sanaullah stated that the victims of the APS tragedy “showed the whole nation to unify against terrorism and religious extremism.”
The nation has conquered terrorism with unity, he continued, and December 16 will always serve as a reminder of the tremendous sacrifices made by APS martyrs.
The minister said, “Today, we salute and pay tribute to the martyrs of APS, the parents of the children, and their brave teachers.
Hina Pervez Butt, a provincial minister, also paid tribute to the martyrs and stated that “the wounds that were inflicted 8 years ago are fresh again.”
She continued, “Even now, when I think about December 16, 2014, tears well up in my eyes.
The “Bloody Day”
On the eighth anniversary of the APS attack, Asad Umar, the head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and other politicians also tweeted.
Umar claimed on Twitter that December 16 is connected to the worst catastrophes in Pakistani history.
Sadly, “we seem to have learned nothing from these catastrophes,” he continued.
Awami Muslim League (AML) founder Sheikh Rashid paid tribute to the deceased by stating that December 16 is “the bloody day when our children were slaughtered in Peshawar APS 8 years ago.”
“This terrorism is once again on the upswing. In Rawalpindi, Islamabad, two key terrorists were detained yesterday, the former interior minister continued.
The APS assault
131 pupils and 10 other individuals perished on December 14, 2014, when heavily armed extremists stormed the building and opened fire on the students who were inside.
A 20-point National Action Plan was afterwards introduced by the government to fight terrorism.
