National leaders vow to crush terrorism

The national leadership on Tuesday vowed to crush terrorism, warning that there would be no leniency for terrorists or anyone who supports, finances, shelters, or justifies them.

"There can be no negotiations with those who raise arms against the state or target our children," President Asif Zardari said in a message on the 11th anniversary of the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar attack.

He said the memory of the APS martyrs strengthened their resolve, adding that Pakistan would never allow the enemies of peace to succeed.

The president said Dec 16 commemorates the innocent children and staff of the APS whose lives were taken in the brutal 2014 terrorist attack, noting that their sacrifice remains a solemn reminder of the heavy price the nation has paid in the fight against terrorism.

"We stand with the families who continue to bear this pain with courage. The nation will always honour the resilience of the APS families who transformed their grief into strength for Pakistan."

The president said they strongly condemned the Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan. "The evidence of its involvement in efforts to destabilise our country is well documented. Pakistan will continue to expose these hostile activities and will defend its people with full resolve," President Secretariat Press Wing, in a statement, quoted the president as saying.

The president paid tribute to the security forces, law enforcement agencies and intelligence services whose efforts had prevented many such tragedies.

He resolved that they would continue to pursue every terrorist and every facilitator until justice was done.

"Let me take this opportunity to warn the apologists, facilitators and supporters of terrorists that the people and the armed forces of Pakistan shall not spare them and will defeat them, no matter what political, ideological or fake religious garb they try to shroud themselves in," he stressed.

Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while paying tribute to the martyrs of the APS tragedy, reiterated his government's resolve to maintain an uncompromising, zero-tolerance stance on terrorism and to continue relentless, full-force anti-terror operations until the scourge is eliminated from the country.

The premier, in his message on the APS attack anniversary, said the sacrifices rendered for Pakistan's bright future would never go in vain as the state, security institutions, and the people stood united and determined to eliminate terrorism and extremism.

"Today, we pay tribute to the martyrs of the Army Public School Peshawar tragedy, who sacrificed their precious lives for the future of our beloved homeland. This heart-wrenching incident was a great ordeal for the entire nation, which deeply saddened us but failed to break our resolve," he remarked.

The premier said the sacrifices of the innocent children, teachers, and staff of APS would always remain etched in the national conscience and only the elimination of terrorism from the country would be the meaningful justice for this heinous tragedy.

He noted that the entire nation shared the grief of the martyrs' bereaved families, and saluted their patience and resilience. "Today, as Pakistan once again faces the menace of terrorism, with security personnel and innocent civilians being targeted in various parts of the country, the APS tragedy reminds us that our struggle against terrorism is not yet over." (With input from APP)