The wounds of the Army Public School, Peshawar terrorist attack are still fresh nine years later. December 16 will always be remembered as a dark day in the history of Pakistan. It marks a national tragedy that has wounded the hearts of every Pakistani. In 2014, Pakistan was inflicted huge damage by terrorists targeting innocent children of the Army Public School in Peshawar. Six armed terrorists had attacked the school with modern weapons and targeted innocent children and teachers. The terrorists ended up killing 149 people, including 132 children. "They went to school, but never returned" Army Public School Principal Tahira Qazi's dedication will be remembered for years. The brave woman sacrificed her life but stood like a wall between the terrorists and the students. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the APS attack, saying it was in retaliation for Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan. These terrorists were trained in Afghanistan, from where they also brought in arms and ammunition for the attack.

This heartbreaking tragedy brought tears to every eye and united the entire nation, without any religious or political distinction. From Khyber to Karachi, the whole of Pakistan mourned the brutal martyrdom of innocent children and teachers. The cowardly terrorists wanted to eliminate knowledge and learning by attacking the school and targeted the future generation, but they could not dampen the morale of the nation. People of every school of thought throughout the country rejected the terrorist and evil mentality that propagated this cruelty and brutality. The national APS tragedy also led to the formulation of a clear policy and consensus plan in the form of the "National Action Plan" to combat terrorism. The entire world condemned this sad incident and strongly demanded that these terrorists be punished. Nine years have passed since the tragedy, but the wounds of the nation are still fresh even today. Terrorists are constantly using Afghanistan's territory to target innocent citizens of Pakistan. Even today, Pakistan's forces and people are fighting the terrorist attacks emanating from Afghanistan.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)