The youthful souls, the brave soldiers and teachers of APS may have been martyred, but they shall never be forgotten. Their sacrifice has seemingly united the world against terrorism. In Birmingham, England, a ceremony was held to honour these courageous individuals. The event was attended by Malala Yusufzai, who had herself faced the dastardly act of terrorism and now stands firm against it.
Addressing the tribute ceremony, Malala stated that the world salutes the brave martyrs of Army Public School (APS), Peshawar. She urged all political parties of Pakistan to unite against terrorism to ensure its defeat.
Malala further added that Operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ may eradicate the terrorism for now, but it will not destroy the master mind. For this reason an ‘Operation Kulm’ (Pen) will also be direly needed.
She said, “There are these terrorist attacks happening, for example what happened in Paris or what happened in Peshawar a year ago.”
“It´s not just needed in Pakistan but across the world. If we want to end terrorism we need to bring quality education so we defeat the mindset of terrorism mentality and of hatred.”
Two survivors of the APS attack, Ahmad Nawaz, 14, and Mohammed Ibrahim, 13, also took part in the ceremony.
Ahmad Nawaz recounted the horror of the December 16, 2014 Peshawar attack, in which more than 140 people including 132 children were martyred.
Ahmad said he saw his teacher burned alive in that incident and the friends with whom I was playing.
“I was surrounded by the dead bodies of those friends. So it was the horrifying experience of my life and I still have nightmares.”
Ahmad Nawaz was shot in the arm while his brother was martyred in the attack.
Ibrahim was in a wheelchair, having been paralysed from the waist down.