APS Peshawar attack: COAS Bajwa says Army united to carry Pakistan forward

RAWALPINDI — Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Sunday paid rich tribute to the martyrs of Army Public School (APS) Peshawar, saying the nation has to stay united and steadfast to carry forward Pakistan to peace and prosperity.

In a tweet, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor quoted the army chief as saying that the nation faced challenges at the heavy cost to come out successfully.

https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1074269751378087942

Vowing to move the country forward to its rightful destination of peace and prosperity, the army chief said the nation remembered and prayed for the APS martyrs. He also saluted the brave parents.

'We shall attain our objectives of enduring peace': military spokesman

Ghafoor, the military's spokesman, also sent out a personal message to show solidarity with the martyrs of the tragedy.

https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1074293252839391232

He mentioned in a tweet: “We are a resilient nation, our enemies shall never succeed. Nations evolve through struggles, determined ones succeed. We are succeeding, united & steadfast we shall attain our objectives of enduring peace and prosperity, IA.”

More than 148 people, most of them children, were killed in the attack on Peshawar's Army Public School on December 16, 2014, making it the second deadliest attack in the country's history.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of armed groups that had been fighting the Pakistani state since 2007, soon claimed responsibility for the assault. In a statement, the Pakistan Taliban claimed the children were legitimate targets because they were studying at a military-run school.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/remembering-the-martyrs-of-aps-tragedy/

The attack on the school in Peshawar came after another one earlier that year on a major airport in the southern city of Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and its economic backbone, prompted the launch of a military operation, Zarb-e-Azb [The attack of the Prophet's Sword], against the group.

Following the attack on the Army Public School, the government ramped up its security operations, with the military stepping up air attacks and ground operations in all seven northwestern tribal districts, targeting the Pakistan Taliban.

In all, the military says it killed more than 4,000 members of armed groups since it launched Zarb-e-Azb, losing hundreds of soldiers in the process. The data is impossible to verify, given strict reporting restrictions in the conflict zone.

A National Action Plan (NAP) was also devised to effectively tackle the menace of terrorism across the country. Pakistan also established military courts after the brutal carnage which are in place to this day.