Pakistan remembers lives lost in 2014 Peshawar school massacre

ISLAMABAD: Five years into the country’s most heart-wrenching terrorist attack, in which the Taliban murdered 149 people, most of them schoolchildren, Pakistani leaders vow to never forget the victims and the way they died.
On Dec. 16, 2014, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) gunmen entered the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and opened fire on students and teachers, killing 132 children and 17 school staff.  
On the fifth anniversary of the APS attack, parents held candlelit vigils in Peshawar to remember the victims.
Special prayers were also offered in different parts of the city to remember the carnage.
The army-run school that came under terrorist attack displayed a huge banner carrying photos of the students killed in the attack and held a special prayer ceremony.
President Arif Alvi said the nation must not forget “the massacre of little angels” and teachers. It is “hard to commemorate this day without tears in one’s eyes. In its remembrance, we reiterate our pledge to root out terrorism and extremism in all its manifestations from our country,” he said in a tweet on Monday.
“Today, we remember and pray for the survivors and victims of APS Peshawar incident. The blood of the innocent united the nation against all forms of extremism, terrorism, violence and hatred,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a statement.
While paying tribute to young martyrs, the premier also honored the sacrifices of the country’s security forces “in the fight against the scourge of terrorism.”
“We pledge on this day not to allow any militant mindset to take our country and the nation hostage to its bigoted vision,” Khan said.
The Pakistan Army’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), quoted Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa as saying “the APS carnage will never be forgotten. Five of the involved terrorists have been hanged through military courts. Salute to martyrs and their families.”
“We have come a long way in failing terrorism as a nation. United we move toward lasting peace and prosperity of Pakistan,” the Twitter post by the ISPR said.