ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday gave approval to rename the 122 schools and colleges of Islamabad after the names of children killed in the Army Public School attack to commemorate the sacrifice rendered by the young martyrs , Radio Pakistan reported.

The premier, in his message, said that the act of renaming educational institutes is a tribute to the martyrs of the deadly attack adding that the move is aimed at making sure that the memory of these children long outlive the tragic incident that ended their lives by forces of hate and ignorance.

The premier was of the view that "it is necessary to remember the martyrdom of young students who set an ever living example of sacrifice to awaken the nation".

"The enemies of Pakistan want to promote a culture of intolerance and hate but we will not let them succeed in their mission," read the statement.

"Existence of our homeland and memories of our martyrs are inseparable,” he was quoted as saying.

Nawaz vowed to continue the war against terror with full force to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country.

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Last year's attack on Peshawar's Army Public School resulted in widespread condemnation from national and international quarters with the government quickly scrambling into action.

A mass shooting had taken place inside the school on December 16 last year when students were present in the auditorium.

Terrorists had killed 144 students and teachers, including principal, while 118 were wounded.

A National Action Plan (NAP) was then developed in order to tackle the growing problem of terrorism, resulting in a significant decrease in attacks.

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