11th anniversary of the APS Peshawar attack: President, PM reiterate resolve to eradicate terrorism

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reiterated the government’s resolve to eradicate terrorism, saying there is no soft corner for terrorists and their facilitators.

In a separate message, President Zardari said Pakistan’s commitment to defeating terrorism was absolute. “There can be no negotiations with those who raise arms against the state or target our children,” the president said in a message on the 11th anniversary of the APS Peshawar attack.

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

Today, he said, they remembered the innocent children and staff of the Army Public School whose lives were taken in the brutal terrorist attack on 16 December 2014, adding their sacrifice remained a solemn reminder of the heavy price the nation had 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,” he added.

The president said that 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 press release, quoted the president as saying.

The president also 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.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, paying tribute to the martyrs of the Army Public School Peshawar tragedy, reiterated his government’s resolve to maintain an uncompromising zero-tolerance stance on terrorism and continue relentless and full force anti-terror operations till the elimination of the scourge.

The prime minister, in his message on the APS attack anniversary, said that the great 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.

He said that 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. The prime minister said 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,” he said and prayed for the highest rank in paradise for all the martyrs of this anti-terror war and patience for their families.