PESHAWAR, Pakistan: National political leadership has been invited to attend the first anniversary of Army Public School (APS) tragedy on Wednesday (Dec 16).
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has finalised an elaborate programmes to demonstrate the fact that whole nation stood united on one page against terrorism.
It will also be giving a clear message to the enemies that such cowardice acts could not shake the nation’s resolve against extremism.
In an exclusive interview with media APP Monday, Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information and Spokesman of KPK government said comprehensive and elaborate arrangements to observe the first anniversary of the APS tragedy, had been made to express solidarity and sympathies with victims, families.
He said it is also aimed at renewing the pledge to continue efforts for promotion of quality education.
Ghani said leaders of all political parties have been invited to attend the anniversary function to be held on the premises of the APS where a Martyrs Monument has been constructed for inauguration on the occasion.
The parents of victims’ students and teachers would also participate in the event besides senior civil and military officials, he added.
The Public and Archives’ Library at Peshawar Museum would be named after APS martyrs in a special ceremony that would be attended by PTI Chief Imran Khan, he said, adding he would also lead a peace march from Chief Minister’s Secretariat to Peshawar Municipal Library after attending the anniversary function.
He said the library would be named Shuhada-i-APS Library.
The special assistant said the provincial government had named 111 schools and three roads after the APS victims, while the same had been done to five schools in FATA, two in Punjab and one in Balochistan.
He said the federal government had announced Tamgha-e-Shujaat or 142 deceased and Sitara-e-Shujaat for two.
Mushtaq Ghani said the psycho-social rehabilitation centre was established for the parents of all terrorism-affected APS students at the Combined Military Hospital Peshawar, where therapies were provided.
He said the affected families were offered Umrah package, while students, teachers and their guardians visited friendly countries, including the US, China, Turkey and Oman.
The package for the affected families included jobs for next of kin of attack victims, free education for one sibling, admission for injured students to cadet colleges and payment of Rs2 million to the next family member of the deceased students.
Under the package, as many as 91 injured students were admitted at different Cadet Colleges of the country and the province, adding Provincial government has given Rs 338 million to the heirs of deceased while the Centre provided Rs 86.8 million along with national awards.
Mushtaq Ghani said that 855 people of 142 martyrs were sent to Saudi Arabia for Umrah. The parents of each deceased student were provided Rs two million, each critically injured got Rs four lacs and Rs two lacs for minor injured besides a handsome amount for the martyred employees of APS.
Ghani said APS tragedy has united nation against menace of terrorism and the Federal and KP Government took solid and effective measures to counter terrorism.
Military Courts were set up in the country to counter terrorism and four terrorists involved in the massacre of APS were hanged at Central Jail Kohat.
Ghani said the Federal and Provincial Government were on same page in fight against terrorism adding the Provincial government will decide about public holiday on December 16 by today’s evening.
Source: APP
