PESHAWAR: The 11th anniversary of the Army Public School massacre was marked here on Tuesday amid sobs and tears of the slain students’ parents, who demanded justice even 11 years after the tragedy.

“Tearful mothers of the slain students have demanded exemplary punishment for the killers of their children they had sent to the school,” one of the parents told Dawn.

During a function on the APS campus, the aggrieved women said there won’t be peace until terrorists involved in the APS attack were punished.

The main function in connection with the 11th anniversary of the massacre was held on the APS campus, where parents and siblings of the slain students, and military officers were in attendance.

Parents of slain students demand exemplary punishment for killers

A total of 147 people, including 132 students, were martyred and180 injured in the Dec 16, 2014, attack.

The army personnel presented a guard of honour to the monument of the martyred and placed a wreath.

The parents lit candles at the monument where the portrait of martyred students and staff members were displayed.

Similarly, the tragic incident was also remembered in government schools and colleges as students, teachers and employees offered prayers for the victims in morning assemblies and remembered the sacrifices rendered by the students.

Separately, civil society members gathered at the Shuhada APS monument outside the Archives Library and lit candles.

President of the Shuhada APS Forum Ajoon Khan told Dawn that even 11 years after the massacre; justice had not been delivered to the bereaved families.

He demanded punishment for those advocating for the resettlement of terrorists, who were involved in the brutal killing of schoolchildren. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the tragedy.

Mr Khan demanded that the report of the judicial commission, which probed the attack on the orders of the Supreme Court, be shared with parents.

Meanwhile, central president of the Awami National Party Aimal Wali Khan said that December 16, 2014, was the “darkest and most unforgettable” day in the history of Pakistan, according to a statement issued in connection with the 11th anniversary of the APS incident.

“The story of cruelty and barbarity that was created in Peshawar on that day is unparalleled in history,” he said.

Mr Khan said that the aggrieved families were still waiting for justice from the state, while those involved in the massacre still roamed free.

He said that after the tragic APS attack, a National Action Plan was framed with consensus by all stakeholders against the menace of terrorism, which was still a consensus national document, but its partial implementation had weakened its effectiveness.

“Due to non-implementation of NAP in true spirit, the KP is once again in the grip of terrorism and extremism,” he said.

Mr Khan wondered if the path of narratives that promoted hatred and violence had been blocked, saying if that wasn’t the case, the state needs to be held accountable.

He said the punishment of terrorists and their facilitators was very clear in the National Action Plan.

The ANP leader also asked authorities what action had been taken against those who resettled 40,000 terrorists in the province.

He said if indiscriminate action was not taken against every form of terrorism, every facilitation and every patronage, such incidents would continue to happen.

Meanwhile, spokesman for the provincial government and MPA Shafi Jan said that the APS tragedy was an unforgettable and deeply tragic chapter in the national history.

“Eleven years have passed since the tragedy occurred, yet its wounds are still fresh in the hearts of the entire nation,” he said.

Mr Jan said that terrorists carried out extreme acts of cruelty and barbarity at the APC, targeting the future of the nation.

“This tragedy can neither be forgotten nor have its effects faded. Our government is utilising all available resources to ensure lasting peace in the province,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2025