Sacrifices of martyrs have allowed peace to return

Special ceremony and prayers in APS, several tribute events held across the province

PESHAWAR: Students and teachers gathered at the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar on Monday morning to offer prayers for the 144 children and staff at the school who were martyred in the tragic terrorist attack five years ago.

A military contingent also presented a guard of honour for the martyrs.

The tribute was offered at the Army Public School and College (APSC) on Warsak Road in Peshawar. After the special prayers for the martyrs, the national anthem was sung.

Peshawar Corps Com­mander Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood then laid a floral wreath at the martyrs’ monument and offered fateha for the departed souls.

Later, he joined the families of the martyrs, a large gathering of locals, school children and staff for communal Quran Khwani within the school premises.

Elsewhere in the province, a host of events were held to mark the tragic event.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) organised a conference to pay tribute to the martyrs of APS attack. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai, who was the chief guest in the event, said that that the country is currently enjoying peace due to sacrifices of all our martyrs.

Assuring that government understands the sentiments of the parents of APS martyrs, Yousafzai said that that they will do whatever they can to address their concerns.

He reiterated that December 16, 2014, was not the only APS type attack the country had faced, but that they had suffered many such attacks.

But due to the sacrifices of terror attack victims and the security forces, peace is returning. As a result, many who had fled the country are now returning with investment.

In this regard, he said that the government has moved to keep the Torkham border open around the clock. This, he hoped, will improve the financial condition of both countries.

The information minister continued that until Kashmiris get their right of self-determination, relations with India will not improve.

Andaleeb Aftab, the mother of APS martyr Huzaifa Aftab, said that their martyred children had given them recognition and pride.

“I lost one Huzaifa but found thousands of Huzaifas whenever I go in the country,” she said.

Islamia College University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Noushad Khan said that there is a need to protect the ideological and geographical boundaries of Pakistan.

He added that the notion that two-nation theory was defeated with the creation of Bangladesh is not correct because East Pakistan did not merge with India. Rather, it remains an independent Muslim country.

Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) Managing Director Abdullah Khan said that if Pakistan can host 3.5 million Afghan refugees for four decades, then why cannot strand Pakistanis in Bangladesh be repatriated.

He said that Bihari Pakistanis stood for Pakistan in the face of death but we should now own them and integrate them into our society.

Bihari community in Pakistan representative Muhammad Azam and Muhammad Akhtar said that Bihari Muslims have faced two migrations, one in 1947 and the second when East Pakistan was converted into Bangladesh.

Judicial probe

A judicial commission, which has been probing the APS attack, hopes to conclude soon.

The commission has, however, rejected a plea by the parents of victims, to summon the current Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the prime minister in the case.

Commission’s Spokesperson Imranullah said that a fact-finding report will be submitted in the Supreme Court (SC) within two months.

Earlier, former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar had taken suo-moto notice of the APS massacre on May 9, 2018, and ordered to conduct a judicial inquiry. Justice Ibrahim Khan, who was serving at the Peshawar High Court (PHC), had been appointed as the head of the commission.

The spokesperson said that the commission has started reviewing statements from 140 people.

Shared grief

K-P Chief Minister Mehmood Khan on Monday expressed solidarity with parents of martyred students of APS, adding that the grief was shared by the entire nation.

He said the entire world was witness to the fact that even innocent children of this country had embraced martyrdom for the sake of peace.

Mahmood added that this supreme and unprecedented sacrifice has been etched in history.

He went on to laud the determination and resilience of the bereaved families and added those young heroes, had engraved a message on our conscience to stand for a terror-free Pakistan.

Central Ulema Council of Pakistan Chairman Sahibzada Zahid Mahmood Qasmi in a ceremony expressed solidarity with the families of APS martyrs.

He added that anti-state elements have tried to discourage the nation as well as the institutions of national security by attacking the school but they failed in their agenda.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2019.