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Pakistan Marks the First Anniversary of the Peshawar School Massacre

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Shahana Ajoon, mother of Asfand Khan, sits beside a picture of her son in Peshawar
Shahana Ajoon, mother of Asfand Khan, sits beside a picture of her son in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Dec. 11, 2015. The family of Hassan Zeb have created a rooftop shrine for their son covered with pictures of the 134 students and 16 staff killed in the Taliban attack on the Army Public School in PeshawarCaren Firouz—Reuters
By Rishi Iyengar

Pakistan marked the first anniversary of one of its worst terrorist attacks on Wednesday, with hundreds gathering for a somber memorial ceremony at the Army Public School in the northwestern city of Peshawar where over 150 people — most of them children — were gunned down by Taliban militants on Dec. 16 last year.

The service was attended by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, army chief Raheel Sharif and opposition leader Imran Khan, among several other top dignitaries, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported.

Parents of the young victims, most of whom were under the age of 16, were given medals during the ceremony, as were survivors of the massacre. The school will also inaugurate a new auditorium and a Martyr’s Monument on its premises.

Various other tributes to the students that lost their lives were announced, including an initiative to rename 122 schools in the capital city Islamabad after many of the victims and a government fund of about $17.5 million for their families. Many families of the victims and survivors, however, have expressed unhappiness with the way they have been treated by the Pakistani government in the aftermath of the attack, with many telling Reuters that promises of funding and medical treatment have not been upheld.

Pakistan’s teenage Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai meanwhile hosted two of the attack’s survivors at a ceremony in Birmingham, England, where she has resided since being shot by Taliban militants in 2012 for her advocacy of women’s education.

The country remains on high alert, with news agency Agence France-Presse quoting a senior Interior Ministry official saying that thousands of extra police and paramilitary troops had been deployed in several cities.

See Tragic Photos of the Taliban School Attack

The uncle and cousin of injured student Mohammad Baqair, center, comfort him as he mourns the death of his mother who was a teacher at the school which was attacked by Taliban, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014.
The uncle and cousin of injured student Mohammad Baqair, center, comfort him as he mourns the death of his mother who was a teacher at the school which was attacked by Taliban, in Peshawar, Pakistan on Dec. 16, 2014.Mohammad Sajjad—AP
Taliban Attack School Peshawar Pakistan
Pakistani security forces take positions following a Taliban attack at an Army run school, in Peshawar, on Dec. 16, 2014. Bilawal Arbab—EPA
Taliban Attack School Peshawar Pakistan
A Pakistani girl, who was injured in a Taliban attack in a school, is rushed to a hospital in Peshawar, on Dec. 16, 2014 Mohammad Sajjad—AP
Taliban Attack School Peshawar Pakistan
Pakistani soldiers move bodies of victims who were killed when Taliban gunmen attacked an Army run school, in Peshawar, on Dec. 16, 2014. Arshad Arbab—EPA
Taliban Attack School Peshawar Pakistan
A wounded Pakistani student receives treatment at a hospital following an attack by Taliban gunmen on a school in Peshawar, on Dec. 16, 2014. A. Majeed—AFP/Getty Images
Taliban Attack School Peshawar Pakistan
School children rescued by Pakistani security forces leave following an attack at the Army run school, in Peshawar on Dec. 16, 2014. Bilawal Arbab—EPA
Taliban Attack School Peshawar Pakistan
A Pakistani man comforts a child standing at the bedside of a boy who was injured in a Taliban attack on a school, at a local hospital in Peshawar, Dec. 16, 2014. Mohammad Sajjad—AP
Taliban Attack School Peshawar Pakistan
Pakistani soldiers transport rescued school children from the site of an attack by Taliban gunmen on a school in Peshawar on Dec. 16, 2014. A. Majeed—AFP/Getty Images
Women mourn their relative Mohammed Ali Khan, 15, a student who was killed during an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School, at his house in Peshawar, Dec. 16, 2014.
Women mourn their relative Mohammed Ali Khan, 15, a student who was killed during an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School, at his house in Peshawar, Dec. 16, 2014. Zohra Bensemra—Reuters
A policeman stands beside empty coffins at the hospital after an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School in Peshawar, Dec.16, 2014.
A policeman stands beside empty coffins at the hospital after an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School in Peshawar, Dec.16, 2014. Zohra Bensemra—Reuters

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Write to Rishi Iyengar at rishi.iyengar@timeasia.com