Live Updates According to Pakistan Time
6:00 p.m: “We selected the army’s school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females,” said Taliban spokesman Muhammad Umar Khorasani. “We want them to feel the pain.”
05:45 p.m: Foreign Minister of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a statement condemned the criminal attack on an army-run school in Pakistan in the strongest terms.
He said in a statement “The hostage-taking and murder of children exceeds in its cruel cowardice all that Pakistan, stricken by years of terror and violence, has known before.”
“We mourn with the people of Pakistan the victims of this bloody terrorist attack. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims. For the many injured we wish speedy recoveries”, he added.
05:35 p.m: DG ISPR Asim Bajwa tweets as follows,
05:30 p.m: The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif has arrived in Peshawar in view of the ongoing rescue operation at the Army Public School.
05:15 p.m: DG ISPR Asim Bajwa tweets as follows,
05:10 p.m: French President Francois Hollande strongly condemned the attack on school in Peshawar that has killed at least 129 people, the majority children by saying “No words can express the ignominy of such an attack against children in their school.”
04:20 p.m: Taliban expert Ahmed Rashid spoke to foreign media and told the reasons why Taliban attacked the school at this time. According to Ahmed Rashid the main reasons are: 1. To demoralise the Army 2. Malala Yousafzai awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 3. Peshawar has become an ungovernable city
04:15 p.m: PM Nawaz Sharif has termed the Peshawar Attack as cowardly act and said that the government will not be deterred in its resolve to end terrorism from the country.
04:13 p.m: Fifth terrorist has been killed in the operation by Pakistan Army. Two more children and two staff members have been rescued as well.
04: 10 p.m: Another blast was heard from inside Army Public School. This is the 14th explosion to be heard from the school today.
03:57 p.m: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced three-day mourning against the attack. The flag will fly at half mast.
03:47 p.m: ISPR said that four terrorists have been killed as yet whereas the rest have been confined to the last blocks of the school.
03:40 p.m: PTI Chairman Imran Khan has said that there is no justification for this heinous crime. He added that the party is standing with all the families who lost their loved ones in the attack.
03:37 p.m: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh have also condemned Taliban’s attack on Army Public School in Peshawar.
03:23 p.m: Two twin explosives alongwith gunshots are just heard at the ground zero.
03:17 p.m: Two close relatives of ARY News correspondent in Peshawar were amongst the deceased.
03:14 p.m: ISPR has stated that three blocks of the school have been cleared from terrorists.
03:11 p.m: Nawaz Sharif has arrived in Peshawar to review the hostile situation.
03:05 p.m: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has condemned the attack on Army Public School and appealed the citizens to donate blood for the victims of the attack.
02:42 p.m: Army Chief General Raheel Sharif has also left for Peshawar.
02:40 p.m: PTI Chairman Imran Khan has left for Peshawar.
02: 27 p.m: Opposition leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah has held both federal government and PTI Chairman Imran Khan responsible for the
attack.
02:18 p.m: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has left for Peshawar where he will monitor the operation and relief work himself. He has called the incident a national tragedy.
02:12 p.m: CM KP Pervez Khattak has said that 104 people have been killed in which 84 are children. He has announced three-day mourning. He said that the terrorists were dressed in Frontier Corps (FC) uniform and were speaking Arabic.
02:05 p.m: 23 children have been killed so far.
02:00 p.m: Two terrorists have been killed in the operation so far.
01:47 p.m: At least 23 people have been killed so far which includes large number of children. A female teacher and a soldier is amongst the deceased as well.
01:46 p.m: Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pervez Khattak has condemned the attack on Army Public School.
01: 19 p.m: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif contacted Federal Interior Minister and instructed him to complete the rescue operation as soon as possible.
01:15 p.m: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has condemned the attack on Army Public School.
01: 09 p.m: The death toll has increased to 18.
01:05 p.m: Hospitals are appealing the citizens to donate blood for the wounded.
12:55 p.m: A terrorist has just blew himself outside the auditorium.
12:54 p.m: According to ARY News correspondent, at least 12 children have been killed in the Taliban attack so far.
12:51 p.m: The children said that the terrorists attacked the auditorium where they were giving their examinations.
12:48 p.m: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has said that the children and staff have been evacuated from the building.
12:43 p.m: Another child has been killed in the terrorist attack.
12:39 p.m: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has condemned the violent incident and ordered the safe rescue of the children trapped inside the school.
12:39 p.m: A rescue operation is underway to rescue the schoolchildren. Security sources have said that majority of the children have been rescued.
12: 37 p.m: A school teacher had said that around 1400 to 1500 students study in the school.
Details:
Taliban militants stormed the Army Public School in Peshawar in broad daylight in a latest major offensive after military operation currently underway.
Five or six militants wearing military uniforms have entered the Army Public School in the city of Peshawar, a source at the school told AFP.The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the gunmen had been ordered to shoot older students but not children.
TTP spokesman Muhammad Khorasani told AFP there were six attackers.
“They include target killers and suicide attackers. They have been ordered to shoot the older students but not the children,” he said.
“There has been an incident of firing at Army Public School in Peshawar. Troops have cordoned off the area and (are) searching for the militants,” a senior military official told AFP. (AFP)