
A Pakistani man comforts a student standing at the bedside of a boy who was injured in a Taliban attack on a school, at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan. (Associated Press Photo)
"It is a senseless act of unspeakable brutality that has claimed lives of the most innocent of human beings - young children in their school. My heart goes out to everyone who lost their loved ones today. We share their pain and offer our deepest condolences," the Prime Minister said in a statement.
It is a senseless act of unspeakable brutality that has claimed lives of the most innocent of human beings - young children in their school.
- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 16, 2014
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the attack in the northwestern city of Peshawar exposed the "real face of terrorism".
I strongly condemn the terrorist attack on a school at Peshwar(Pakistan). This dastardly & inhuman attack exposes the real face of terrorism
- Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) December 16, 2014
Witnesses described how gunmen went from classroom to classroom, shooting children, after a huge blast shook the Army Public School.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack as retaliation for a major military offensive in the region, saying militants had been ordered to shoot older students. (10 Latest Developments)
India has repeatedly urged Pakistan to rein in militant groups operating on its soil.