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Thursday, March 28, 2024

APS survivor becomes first Pakistani to receive ‘Points of Light Award’ in UK

News Desk |

Ahmad Nawaz, a survivor of the terrorist attack on Army Public School Peshawar, has been given “Points of Light Award” from 10 Downing Street, the headquarters of the government in the United Kingdom, to honor his services aimed at encouraging people to unite and fight extremism through anti-radicalization talks.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Prime Minister @theresa_may for the work I’ve done for Youth Awareness, Peace & against radicalization,” Nawaz said in a Twitter post which was also accompanied by a letter of recognition from 10 Downing Street.

In the deadliest terror attack in the country’s history, 131 schoolchildren and 10 other people were killed when heavily armed militants stormed the APS on Dec 16, 2014.

According to the letter, Ahmad Nawaz, 18, from Birmingham is a youth activist who after surviving a terrorist attack in Pakistan now travels around West Midlands giving anti-radicalization talks to other people. Ahmed has addressed thousands of students across the UK, in addition to speaking at the events organized by the United Nations.

“Though he has received death threats from the Taliban, this has not deterred him. He juggles his academic studies with touring schools giving talks, to spread this essential message,” reads the letter on 10 Downing Street headed paper.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday disposed off the 2014 Army Public School (APS) carnage case after being briefed on the progress made by a judicial commission probing the matter. In the deadliest terror attack in the country’s history, 131 schoolchildren and 10 other people were killed when heavily armed militants stormed the APS on Dec 16, 2014.

Read more: ISPR releases a new song to pay tribute to the APS…

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had taken a suo motu notice of the APS case in April 2018 when parents of some martyred students, including mothers, approached him while he was hearing other cases in Peshawar.