Monument in memory of martyred APS students erected in Peshawar: KP CM

[salnamnaseem07]

 

[SecularNationalist]

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan on Saturday said that the sacrifices of Peshawar Army Public School (APS) students would always be remembered and a monument has been constructed in Peshawar in the memory of the martyred students for this purpose.

In his message on the occasion of 4th anniversary of terrorist attack on APS, the KP CM said that those who targeted innocent children were exposed as the evil persons they are. “The sacrifices of APS students showed Pakistan’s resilience against terrorism. The tragic incident showed the brutality of terrorist mindset as they targeted innocent students within the educational institution exposing their nefarious designs against humanity, education and knowledge,” he said.

Acknowledging that the incident of December 16 will always be hard for the parents of martyred students, the KP CM said that the provincial government would always extend a helping hand to the bereaved families.

CM Mehmood said that security forces and the whole nation united to eliminate terrorism from the society after the APS incident.

He said that the government and the security institutions were on the same page regarding the launch of a national action plan for the total eradication of terrorists and terrorism. “The provincial government successfully played its role in the overall national action plan. We suffered and made sacrifices which were recognised at an international level,” he added.

He assured all-out support to family members of all APS martyrs and concluded by paying rich tributes to the parents of the martyrs for bearing the shock and trauma with patience and fortitude.

 

[Dubious]

We will never forget: Social media remembers APS tragedy
By News Desk
Published: December 15, 2018

Photos of the martyrs of the APS tragedy. PHOTO: TWITTER

On December 16, 2014, Taliban terrorists rampaged through a military-run school in Peshawar, killing 145 pupils and staff.

This methodical killing of young schoolchildren – some as young as five years – this wanton violence, this mindless massacre shocked not just the Pakistani nation, but the entire world.

It was the “most unkindest cut of all” – a cut that exposed the ugly face of a group that wanted to impose their obscurantist ideology on the country.

It was a national tragedy which awakened the Pakistani nation and became a rallying cry for them to unite against the existential threat called the Taliban.

This cataclysmic event led to a decisive war against terrorism which resulted in a marked improvement in the security situation. However, four years on, the wounds inflicted by the deadly attack on Army Public School (APS) have not healed. The tragedy is etched on the memory of the Pakistani nation.

Every December the haunting images of blood-soaked school bags, life-less bodies in school uniforms, and traumatic bereavement of parents come back to remind us that the fight against terrorism must not end until these young victims are avenged.

Social media users took to Twitter before midnight to recall the tragedy and within minutes #From APStoHeaven and #APShum nahinbhoolay became top trends on the popular microblogging site.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto said the blood of innocent children of APS Peshawar shall continue to shake conscience of entire nation until the monster terrorism together with sponsors and facilitators are completely wiped out from the country.

While PPP leader Farhatullah Babar said that it has been four years to APS Peshawar massacre, nearly 150 school children, teachers and staff martyred. Self confessed assassin Ehsanullah Ehsan enjoying state hospitality, paraded as ‘misguided youth’ as ground prepared for mainstreaming militants but justice eludes families of victims.
Education activist Ziauddin Youasafzai spoke out on Twitter saying, “December 16 is one of the bleakest days in history of Pakistan. The souls of massacred children of APS will keep haunting the murderers unless their parents see justice and we see a long lasting peace on our land. Boys, your sacred blood will not go in vain.”

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1867771/1-will-never-forget-social-media-remembers-aps-tragedy/

 

[Menace2Society]

Makes me so angry.

 

[ranjeet]

Any update on Ehsanullah Ehsan? has he been granted pardon or would he be tried for the APS massacre

 

[Dubious]

Sacrifices Of APS Students To Be Remembered: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Sadia Abbas (@SadiaAbbas25) 31 minutes ago Sun 16th December 2018 | 12:18 AM

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan said the sacrifices of the student of Army Public School Peshawar would always be remembered.

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Dec, 2018 ) :Chief Minister Khyber PakhtunkhwaMahmood Khan said the sacrifices of the student of Army Public school Peshawar would always be remembered.

Their sacrifices showed the resilience of Pakistanis against terrorism.

In his message on the occasion of 4th anniversary of terrorist attack on Army Public School Peshawar being observed today, he said the tragic incident showed the brutal mind set of terrorists who targeted innocent students within the educational institution exposing their nefarious designs against the humanity, education and knowledge.

Mehmood Khan said after the tragic incident of Army Public School, the security forces and the whole nation got united to eliminate terrorism from the society.

The chief minister said the incident of December 16, was very tragic for the parents of martyred students and the whole nation.

Mehmood Khan said the provincial government would always extend helping hand to the bereaved families of APS, adding a monument had been constructed in Peshawar in the memory of martyr's students.

He reminded that the government and the security institutions were on same page to launch the national action plan for the total eradication of terrorists and terrorism from the country.

He also paid rich tributes to the parents of the martyrs for bearing the loss with patience and fortitude.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/sacrifices-of-aps-students-to-be-remembered-507457.html

 

[Ahmad Sajjad Paracha]

6 bodies of martyred came to our village including one teacher

 

[SecularNationalist]

@Dubious Dear mod you merged my thread with the thread which is not related.The titles are completely different.This is really annoying for the posters and senior members of this forum as they are not used to such moderation.

 

[HAIDER]

Scar on our preset and future. Should be part of our school curriculum . And bring awareness among children about these sacrifice against terrorism. .

 

[Pakistansdefender]

This should have happened a long time ago.

They promise it several times before..
Look at gardens in British made to commemorate their martyrs.

 

[PakSarzameen5823]

We need a monument to dedicate all lives lost due to terrorism, just like the ones in the US and Europe to commemorate those who died during WW2.

 

[Moonlight]

16 December, 2014. A chilly & cloudy December morning as usual, my Maa turned on the tv to watch Pakistan’s news & me getting annoyed because I wanted to sleep little more on my day off. News anchors giving the news of ‘APS attack’ & I immediately got up and turned the volume on.
Blood is everywhere. Tears, screams, and agony was in the air. Death toll was reached to 30s as per the tickers & I was wholeheartedly praying, it’s all my dream...a horror dream. I changed my pray & asked God, if it isn’t a dream, the number of deaths shouldn’t increase even with one number. I’m crying, my family sobbing too. We all are quiet & have nothing to say. The pain sealed the lips. I was changing the channels again & again with a hope to see less number of deaths. Also, with very heavy heart convincing myself to accept this harsh tragedy that took so many lives of our innocent kids. My hope lost & accepted yet once again low lives & cowardly enemy has attacked. This time the target is hope & future of Pakistan. It’s a school with innocent angels living their dreams & studying to serve their homeland in future. All my feelings were frozen and tears were flowing...I had only one question in my mind, how can they massacre innocent kids? What their parents are going through? Reporters reporting, students were asked if they belong to army families’ & if the answer is ‘yes’ they are shot dead on the spot. Ya Allah!!!

Day is coming to its end, it’s evening and I’m still sitting in same position, frozen. The death toll has reached to 140. The burnt notebooks, the bags, shoes, watches, and other accessories of little angels were covered with their blood instead of the ink. What a horrible thing to see. I am always very optimistic when it comes to Pakistan. But that was the day, I was losing all my hopes. No God No No, this is not the Pakistan I want to see. This is not the Pakistan I fight for. But the next day, I felt, it’s the day when every single Pakistani is mourning in Pakistan and across the globe.
Through this traumatic day, I had to find something positive to boost my morals high....to not lose hopes.
And I found a reason....the unity....the unity, I witnessed in Pakistani nation on this one tragedy, made me regain my faith in Pakistan and Pakistanis. No wonders, why this nation is so resilient. No wonder why this nation is still standing on its feet after all the terrorism activities done by the foes of Pakistan. No wonder, why Pakistan is consider to be one strong & courageous nation.
Although, it is one of the wound that would never heal & it’s still as painful as it was on the day one. But this has taught us to always stay strong and stand together as a nation no matters how difficult the time is. This is the only way to fight back with this terrorism & enemies of Pakistan.

Even those angels had nothing but positivity to spread and patriotism through their posts and pictures on Facebook & quotes on their notebooks.
They wanted to see a prosperous Pakistan. They wanted to see a Pakistan that is flourishing.
Let the world know, we stand together through thins and thick, through rainy days and good sunny days.
Let the world know, the scars and emptiness left with each lost soul is still marked on our hearts and souls. But this hasn’t lost our hopes in Pakistan.
Let the world know, Pakistan was, us and always will be Zindabad.

Long live Pakistan. Long live.

ہمارا خوں بھی شامل ہے تزینِ گلستاں میں”

‏ہمیں بھی یاد رکھنا چمن میں جب بہار آۓ”

 

[Moonlight]

@django @Tps43 @Hell hound @Zibago @Arsalan @war&peace

 

[Moonlight]

this day should be remembered by pakistanis for past mistakes and wrongs done towards bangalis

Seriously? You know what? I am not in mood of any argument and if you have nothing nice to say, please don’t brother to post anything on this thread. Thank you.

 

[saiyan0321]

It changed the very nature of Pakistan. The nation became united against terrorism and TTP which had sympathy from some corners lost it all.

May this black day be always remembered as our sacrifice in this war and may this day never come again

this day should be remembered by pakistanis for past mistakes and wrongs done towards bangalis

Get out of this thread.

We were on our way to Guangzhou, China, via Bangkok on Dec 16, 2014. The moment we landed at Bangkok, my phone began ringing. TV channels had been chasing me for comments to what had begun unfolding at the Army Public School in Peshawar a couple of hours ago. The callers also gave me some gory details of what had been happening to students and their female teachers – heart-wrenching details of the bloodbath. With this attack, the enemy had literally reached the homes of military’s rank and file, their children and spouses being the prime target of this brazen termination mission.

When we eventually arrived in Guangzhou that afternoon, the death toll had crossed 140. We were all in a state of shock and disbelief, imagining how and why human beings (if terrorists qualify to be called so) could even think of putting down the innocent children.

How deeply it hurt even the top brass of the army was evident a few months later at the Martyr’s Day observed at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in September 2015.The ceremony was on in the presence of a couple of thousand guests. On one occasion, as the TV cameras moved to army chief General Raheel Sharif, it coincided with a lyrical tribute to the APS martyrs. One could see in the flash of that moment that General Sharif visibly cringed and shuddered upon hearing the initial words of the song, and this was enough to explain the impact the APS tragedy had had on the army itself.

The tragic incident is deeply itched in minds, particularly the families who lost their loved ones in the shockingly dramatic siege-and-kill raid by the terrorists. Not that this was the only one wherein children fell to terror, scores of similar attacks had left thousands of families grieved. Hundreds, if not thousands, of children suffered psycho traumas after having been caught in such attacks or those witnessed their family falling apart in suicide attacks.

But the APS attack basically had taken the assault on Pakistan to the homes of the very institution that has been at the center of all the good and bad happening in Pakistan. It was also credited with the creation of, or close relations with, non-state actors. But the APS qualitatively tore apart if ever there were a romance about the non-state actors and their perceived utility for political objectives.

General Kayani, his successors Gen Sharif and Gen Bajwa have all in different ways on different occasions conceded mistakes in the past on this count. The Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Operation Raddul Fassad in a way symbolized that admission of guilt. But at the same time, both operations also underscored the new realization within the security apparatus underpinned by a resolve against all shades of non-state actors.

At least four unmistakable developments underscore the change that Pakistan has undergone since the APS tragedy.



Statistics suggests that the TTP-led terror network today stands disintegrated and scattered, mostly across the border. Once known as terrorist havens, most no-go areas now belong to the state forces.

Secondly, fatalities from violence in year 2014 to October 2018 have seen a consistent decline from 55% in 2015 to 25% in 2016, and 9% in 2017. The figures for the year 2018 are considerably low too, according the Center for Research and Security Studies.

Thirdly, scoundrels like Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Sadiq Noor are on the run. US drones dispatched TTP and Daesh terrorists Hafiz Saeed Orakzai, Omar Naray, Mulla Nazir and Khalid Khan Sajna to hell once they escaped the Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Raddul Fassad.

Fourth, the ongoing construction of the fence on the border with Afghanistan buries forever the notion of ‘strategic depth’.Detractors often interpreted Pakistani policies as a blind perusal of strategic depth, realizing little that this idea loses its relevance when the majority of local population turns hostile. This is what has happened to Pakistan’s image in Afghanistan.

Fifth, despite the continued Afghan-US kinetic operations in the Pashtoon belt of Afghanistan against Taliban and Daesh – which are also killing ethnic Pashtoon non-combatants in eastern and southeastern Afghan territories – Pakistan has not only driven out or neutralized scores of terrorists and militants; it has also launched the mainstream of the disadvantaged Pashtoon territories once known as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Although the integration process is typically beset with numerous administrative and legal procedures, yet the way for mainstreaming ex-FATA tribes has been cleared. The process is tardy but on track.

Lastly, civilian and military officials, however, will need to create space for a focal person with some authority for integration. This is the only way to defeat the obsolete Planning Commission regime that has retarded governance and management across Pakistan. Only an accelerated implementation of the integration plans can help alleviate grievances of the tribes living along the border.

In retrospect, the APS attack did serve as a catalyst for change in the outlook of the security establishment. It is still struggling with some bitter consequences of its past policies – such as the international financial squeeze and the shadow of Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Nothing, however, is difficult if all stakeholders can adopt a whole-of-government approach on foreign and domestic issues such as relations with Afghanistan or domestic challenges such as extremism.

One way to pay tribute to the thousands of lives since 2001 and the young souls that fell to terrorists will be development and expansion of soft power tools i.e. reform of critical governance sectors such as criminal justice system, civil services, financial sector reform as well as review of the curricula of private and public schools and madaris for a society anchored in critical thinking, and not emotions.

Published in Daily Times, December 16th2018.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/334029/the-morning-that-jolted-and-changed-pakistan/