Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday paid his respects to the martyrs of the devastating attack on the Army Public School (APS) that took place three years ago in Peshawar.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Women's University in Kohat, Abbasi said, “When the APS Peshawar attack took place three years ago, all political parties and all our armed forces came together to fight terrorism in the country."

"As a result of this fight, we have defeated terrorism and today, our schools and mosques our safe," he added. "Everyone is free to visit markets and live freely in this country."

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa also shared a message on the third anniversary of the APS attack.

"Remembering the martyrs of Army Public School Peshawar. The great sacrifice of our innocent beloved children and their brave families remains unforgettable. It symbolises our undeterred resolve in the love of our motherland. Your sacrifice has not gone in vain, we owe this improving peace to you.”

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants had stormed the school on Dec 16, 2014, killing at least 144 people ─ most of whom were children.

The deadliest attack in Pakistan's history had prompted the government to declare an all-out war against terrorist outfits in the country. In the wake of the attack, military courts were set up for trying terrorists under amendments made to the Constitution and the Army Act.

The mastermind of the APS massacre, Umar Mansour, alias Khalifa Mansour, alias Umar Naray, was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan last year.