The Embassy of Pakistan Washington DC organized a commemorative ceremony to honor the martyrs of Army Public School Peshawar on Dec 18, 2015, says a press release received from Washington.
Senior officials of the U.S. State Department, Pakistani-American community members, representatives of community organizations, senior military and civilian officials, and representatives of media participated in the ceremony.
Secretary Defence Lt Gen (Retd) Muhammad Alam Khattak and Corps Commander 1 Corps, Lt General Umar Farooq Durrani – on an official visit to the United States – also spoke on the occasion. They highlighted the successes achieved by Pakistan in the Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Government’s firm resolve to completely eliminate last vestiges of terrorism and extremism from the country.
Mr. Jonathan Carpenter, U.S. Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) read the message of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the occasion. Secretary Kerry in his statement appreciated the resilience and spirit of the Pakistani nation and urged the importance of uniting in opposition to terrorism and the poisonous ideology that fuels it. Secretary Kerry also reaffirmed U.S. determination to stand with the Pakistani people in countering violent extremism and in building a secure and prosperous future for all.
State Department’s Principal Deputy SRAP, Ms. Laurel Miller was also present on the occasion.
Charge d’Affaires Mr. Rizwan Saeed Sheikh highlighted the sacrifice rendered by of the people of Pakistan in combating terrorism. He also underlined the steps taken by Pakistan in implantation of National Action Plan (NAP). While recalling the vision of our founding fathers, he stressed that Pakistan was poised to come up as a strong and victorious nation from this epic war. He also appreciated the cooperation and support of the United States in this endeavor.
The participants observed a minute of silent prayer as a tribute to the martyred children and expressed their solidarity with the security forces of Pakistan in their mission to rid the country of the scourge of terrorism.
A documentary prepared by ISPR on Operation Zarb-e-Azb was also screened for the audience.
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