A ceremony was held on December 15 in Keçiören area of Ankara, Turkey, to pay tribute to the schoolchildren and staff who were martyred in the brutal terrorist attack on Army Public School, Peshawar, in 2014. The Pakistani ambassador, officials of the Justice and Development Party, Keçiören Municipality, and the Pakistan Embassy attended the event. Reiterating solidarity with Pakistan, Keçiören Mayor Turgut Altinok strongly condemned the APS terrorist attack. He said the people of Turkey will stand with their Pakistani brothers in all aspects of life, especially in the fight against terrorism. In Keçiören, a heartfelt ceremony honored the victims of the 2014 terrorist attack. Altinok reiterated Turkey's support to the people of India's illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and their inalienable right to self-determination. Pakistan Ambassador Dr Yousaf Junaid expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Turkish brothers for showing solidarity and keeping alive the memory of the precious lives lost in terrorist attacks. He said that these 144 trees reflected the determination of 300 million people of Pakistan and Turkey to fight terrorism.

The ambassador further said that both countries have faced numerous losses due to terrorism. Referring to the recent decision of the Indian Supreme Court regarding the status of held Kashmir, the ambassador said that it reflects terrorism. Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised conflict, Ambassador Junaid remarked. The final decision of Jammu and Kashmir has to be made according to the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, the ambassador said. Dr Junaid further said that the Indian constitution and Indian courts did not have supremacy over the UN resolutions. He thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an for taking a principled stand regarding occupied Kashmir. The Pakistani ambassador reiterated his commitment that Pakistan would continue to extend its full political, diplomatic and moral support to the legitimate cause of Kashmiris' right to self-determination. Later, the ambassador, along with the Keçiören mayor and other dignitaries, laid a wreath at the APS Martyrs' Memorial.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)