PM, ministers remember APS martyrs on eighth anniversary

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday remembered the victims of the tragic Army Public School (APS) attack on its eighth anniversary and said that this day is a message to the whole world that Pakistan has made great sacrifices to eradicate terrorism.

The premier took to his official Twitter handle and said: “Every year, December 16 reminds the entire nation of the agony and sorrow when the terrorists carried out atrocities in APS Peshawar.”

Shehbaz added that today is the day to pay homage to the martyrs of the APS tragedy and share the grief of their families. “The nation of Pakistan will never forget the sacrifices of its martyrs,” he added.

The PM furthered that the country’s struggle will continue until terrorism is "eliminated from our soil".

“December 16 is the day for the whole of Pakistan to be united against terrorism. This struggle of ours is ongoing and will continue with the same iron will and perseverance until complete elimination,” he said.

Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb also paid homage to the martyrs and said despite the passage of eight years, even today we are unable to forget the tragedy.

Read APS Peshawar martyrs remembered

“The cowardly evil elements attacked the future of the nation, the young children and martyred them,” the minister said.

She maintained that the martyrs of the APS tragedy united the nation against terrorism and said that "this day will always remind us of the great sacrifices of the martyrs of APS."

“As a nation, we have come a long way to defeat terrorism. We are moving towards lasting peace and development in Pakistan,” the minister added.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah's prayed for the martyrs of the APS tragedy and said that it was one of the saddest events in Pakistan's history. "The grief is still fresh," he added.

“Brutal terrorists attacked innocent, young children and martyred them. The martyrs of the APS tragedy showed the entire nation to unite against terrorism and religious extremism,” said Sanaullah.

He added that December 16 will always be a reminder of the great sacrifices of APS martyrs and that the nation has defeated terrorism with unity.

“Today, we salute and pay tribute to the martyrs of APS, the parents of the children and their brave teachers,” the minister concluded.

Provincial minister Hina Pervez Butt also remembered the martyrs and said “the wounds that were inflicted 8 years ago are fresh again”.

“Even today, tears come to my eyes when I think about December 16, 2014,” she added.

'Bloody day'

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar and other politicians also tweeted on the eighth anniversary of the APS attack.

Taking to Twitter, Umar said the worst tragedies in the history of Pakistan are related to December 16. 

He furthered that unfortunately “we seem to have learned nothing from these tragedies”.

Paying homage to the martyrs, Awami Muslim League (AML) founder Sheikh Rashid said that December 16 is "the bloody day when our children were martyred in Peshawar APS 8 years ago."

“This terrorism is on the rise again. Two main terrorists were arrested yesterday in Rawalpindi, Islamabad,” the former interior minister added.

The APS attack

On December 14, 2014, 131 schoolchildren and 10 other people were martyred when heavily armed militants stormed the school and fired at children who were attending classes at the time.

Later the government launched a 20-point National Action Plan to defeat terrorism.