Daily Times

To pay homage to the school children and staff martyred in the brutal terrorist attack on Army Public School (APS) Peshawar in 2014, a solemn ceremony was held today at Keçiören, Ankara. Ambassador of Pakistan Mr. Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi, Keçiören Municipality Deputy Mayor Mr. Metin Akdemir and Pakistan Embassy officials attended the event received from Ankara.

In his remarks on the occasion, Ambassador Syrus Qazi said the tragic event of 16 December 2014, APS Peshawar’s 133 innocent children and 17 school staff were brutally massacred. He noted that this carnage was one of the most tragic events in our history that had left every Pakistani in utter shock and grief.

Ambassador Qazi thanked the people of Turkey who were among the first in the world to reach out and express strong solidarity with the people of Pakistan. “The moral gesture of Keçiören Municipality of planting a tree for each martyr was a source of strength for the grieving families and the Pakistani nation and this would keep their memory alive in Turkey forever,” he underlined.

While reaffirming the strong solidarity of the people of Turkey with Pakistan, Deputy Mayor of Keçiören Mr. Metin Akdemir condemned the terrorist attack and said nothing can justify such a brutal and inhuman act. He said that the people of Turkey would continue to stand by their Pakistani brothers.

The participants placed flowers at the memorial, followed by prayers for the departed souls.

When the heinous APS Peshawar attack happened on 14 December 2014, the people and leadership of Turkey extended spontaneous support to Pakistan. Turkey declared a day of national mourning. Moreover, as a show of solidarity, Keçiören Municipality and Youth Wing members of the Justice and Development (AK) Party planted trees, one for each shaheed, at the AK Party Memorial Forest in Keçiören, Ankara.