Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb Friday said the nation would never forget sacrifices of martyred students and staff of Army Public School (APS) Peshawar, and the armed forces.
Addressing a function here at a college in memory of the martyrs of December 16, 2014, terror attack, she saluted the APS victims and martyrs of the armed forces, who offered sacrifices to realise the prime minister’s vision of eliminating terrorism from the country.
The minister said after the APS barbaric incident, the nation rose to the occasion, put aside all differences, and got united for the elimination of terrorism.
The brave Pakistani nation, she said, had been facing terrorism for the last many years, but its resolve for the elimination of the menace, could not be weakened.
She said after the APS incident, an indiscriminate operation was launched against the terrorists, besides finalising the National Action Plan (NAP).
The present government, she said, also formulated the National Internal Security Policy. Under the policy, all mobile SIMS were linked with national database, which was a unique feature. Though it was claimed that cellular phone companies might leave the country, but the government gave priority to national security, she added.
The prime minister got all the political leadership united on that point, and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan played an important role in that regard, she added.
Steps were taken to ban hate speech, she said, adding that registration of aliens had been started, while the policy for Afghan refugees return was also formulated.
Over 120,000 fake computerised national identity cards (CNICs) were confiscated, illegal foreign residents were deported and border management system at the Afghan border was introduced, she added.
The minister appreciated the role played by the provinces and said that entire nation was united on the issue of terrorism. The war against terrorism would continue till the last terrorist was eliminated from the soil of Pakistan, she added.
She said the Pakistani nation is one of the most resilient nations in the world. In the West, the people did not visit the sites of terror incidents for many months, but, “we do not give up, as the Army Public School Peshawar was reopened only a few days after the incident,” she added.
Candles were lit and Fateha was offered for the victims of APS tragedy.
