In our hearts: Nation salutes APS martyrs, says Hamza

Ceremony held to mark first anniversary of the APS attack

LAHORE:

“The supreme sacrifices of the martyrs of Peshawar tragedy will always be remembered as the nation is determined to root out the menace of terrorism from the country,” MNA Hamza Shahbaz said on Wednesday.

He was addressing a ceremony held to mark the first anniversary of the Peshawar Army Public School (APS) attack at Aiwan-i-Iqbal. He expressed solidarity with the parents of the martyrs of Peshawar tragedy and said that the nation saluted them.

Ministers Malik Nadeem Kamran, Zakia Shahnawaz, Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, Khawaja Salman Rafique, the chief secretary, the IGP, vice chancellors, principals, teachers and students attended the event.

Emotional scenes were witnessed at the function when five-year-old Ghulam Murtaza sang a song about the tragedy. Poet Amjad Islam Amjad recited a poem Tum Zinda Ho. Students of the Lahore College for Women University presented skits. Singer Hamid Ali Khan and his son sang Yeh Wada Raha.

Chief minister:

In a message, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, too, paid rich tribute to the martyrs of Army Public School Peshawar. “These students and their teachers are heroes of the nation. Due to the supreme sacrifice of the martyrs of APS Peshawar, an unprecedented unity has been forged against terrorism,” he said.

He said that under the National Action Plan, a decisive war was being fought against terrorists. “Terrorism, extremism and sectarianism will be rooted out from the country permanently. No effort will be spared to eliminate those who killed innocent children,” he said.

The chief minister said that there was no room for terrorism, extremism and sectarianism in Pakistan. “Setting up a society based on tolerance and moderation is the mission of this government. Terrorists and their facilitators will be rooted out. The blood of the martyrs is a debt. It will be repaid by eradication of terrorism from the country,” he said.

US consul general calls on CM: American Consul General Zachary Harkenrider called on the chief minister on Wednesday. Matters of mutual interest and promotion of cooperation in different sectors were discussed at the meeting. The chief minister said that the enemies of humanity who targetted innocent children deserved no leniency. Harkenrider said that Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war against terrorism could not be forgotten. He said that America shared the grief of the bereaved families of martyrs.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2015.