Rawalpindi - The politicians, traders, government officials and members of civil society organised a candlelight vigil outside Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) office to pay homage to the martyrs of Army Public School (APS) Peshawar.
The participants included PML-N MNA Malik Abrar Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer RCB Dr Saima Shah, Vice-President RCB Raja Jahandad, newly elected councillors, Chairperson Defence of Human Rights Pakistan Amina Janjua, traders and a large number of citizens. They were holding candles in their hands to express solidarity with innocent students and others who were martyred in a brutal attack on December 16, 2014.
Displaying the small-sized pictures of the all the martyrs along the fence of RCB office, the participants offered Fateh for the departed souls and laid down floral wreaths.
Meanwhile, glowing tribute was paid to the martyrs of APS Peshawar by female poets of the region at a function held at Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC).
The Mehfil-e-Mushaira was chaired by PML-N MPA Lubna Rehan Pirzada, while poetesses Fakhira Batool and Farheen Chaudhary were guests of honour. Senior poetess Dur-e-Shahwar anchored the event. Poetess Fakhanda Shamim, Naureen Tallat and Farah Deeba recited their poetry and expressed their feelings for the APS martyrs. Speaking on the occasion, Lubna said that being a woman, the sorrows of mothers of martyred children could be felt. It was a tragic incident but they bore it with courage.
A ceremony in this connection was also held at Murree Brewery in which Murree Brewery’s employees, stakeholders, civil society, media and several notable personalities took part. In this ceremony lamps were lit in remembrance of APS children. The ceremony was inaugurated by Murree Brewery administration and workers union.
On this occasion Chief Executive Murree Brewery Asfanyar Bhandara, General Manager Mohammad Javed, Technical Manager Fakhar Mehmood, President Workers Union Chaudary Mohammad Saleem, General Secretary Syed Nazar Hussain along with other officers and employees took part in the ceremony. The participants of the ceremony while speaking to the media said that the memories of these innocent children can never be forgotten.
Paying homage to the young martyrs, MNA Asfandyar Bhandara said that the way those terrorists displayed barbarism and cruelty by attacking those innocent and unarmed children shows that they had no religion. He said that the blood of these innocent martyrs will not go waste and very soon this great nation will get rid of the cancer of terrorism. He said that today the nation is united in its fight against terrorism and the Army of Pakistan is winning victory after victory against the terrorists. He further added, “The day is not far away when we would see a brand new day where our coming generations would be able to live in a Pakistan free of terrorism.”