APS attack anniversary: Pakistan renews vow to defeat terrorism

Today (Tuesday) marks the 11th anniversary of the 2014 Army Public School (APS) attack in Peshawar. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have honored the victims of one of the deadliest school attacks in modern history and reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to fighting terrorism.

On December 16, 2014, six terrorists dressed in military uniforms invaded the school premises and randomly opened fire on kids, teachers, and staff, killing 147 innocent pupils and teachers in what is still the deadliest and most agonizing massacre in the nation’s history.

At least 147 individuals, including 122 children, accepted martyrdom. Tahira Qazi, the principal of the school, and Sofia Hijab, a teacher, were also killed in the assault.

In a statement released on the eleventh anniversary of the tragedy, President Asif Ali Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to combating terrorism and stated that terrorists and those who funded, supported, housed, or defended them could not have a safe haven.

“There can be no negotiations with those who raise arms against the state or target our children,” the president stated.

He claimed that their resolve was bolstered by the memories of the APS martyrs. He stated that Pakistan would never permit the adversaries of peace to prevail.

The president stated that today they honored the defenseless students and employees of the Army Public School who lost their lives in the horrific terrorist attack on December 16, 2014, and that their sacrifice served as a somber reminder of the high cost the country had incurred in the battle against terrorism.

“We stand with the families who continue to bear this pain with courage. The nation will always honor the resilience of the APS families who transformed their grief into strength for Pakistan,” he said.

The president went on to say that the country vehemently denounced terrorism in Pakistan that was funded by India.

“The evidence of its involvement in efforts to destabilize our country is well documented. Pakistan will continue to expose these hostile activities and will defend its people with full resolve,” in a press release, the President Secretariat Press Wing quoted the president as saying.

The president also honored the intelligence services, security forces, and law enforcement organizations whose work had averted numerous tragedies of this kind.

“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 urged.

Prime Minister Shehbaz, meanwhile, declared on X that the country will never waver in its determination to end the evil of terrorism.

“Today, we commemorate the martyrs of the APS Peshawar tragedy—the innocent children, teachers, and staff whose sacrifice is forever etched in our national conscience.

“Their sacrifice remains a constant reminder of our collective responsibility to defeat terrorism,” he stated.

The prime minister added, “May Allah grant the martyrs the highest ranks in Jannat-ul-Firdous and patience to their families.”

Mohsin Naqvi, Home Minister, also paid tribute to the APS martyrs, calling the tragedy “one of the most heartbreaking chapters in Pakistan’s history” and saying the attack “exposed the brutal face of terrorism to the world.”

Naqvi recalled the events of December 16, 2014, claiming that terrorists attacked defenseless children and characterized the attack as an assault on Pakistan’s future and state.

“There is now no ambiguity or expediency in the fight against terrorism,” Naqvi said, adding that terrorism was “unacceptable under any name or flag.”

Naqvi went on to say that the state’s ultimate decision was to eliminate “Fitna-e-Hindustan and its facilitators.”