Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on telephone to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif late in the evening soon after Prime Minister Sharif returned from Peshawar to Islamabad.

Prime Minister condemned in the strongest terms the brutal terrorist attack in a Peshawar school today.  Prime Minister said that this savage killing of innocent children, who are the epitome of the finest human values, in a temple of learning was not only an attack against Pakistan, but an assault against the entire humanity. At a time when the world is getting disturbingly accustomed to acts of terror, he said, this terrible tragedy has shaken the conscience of the world.

He said that the people of India shared the heart-rending pain and sorrow of the bereaved families and the people of Pakistan and stood with them in solidarity in this hour of immeasurable grief.  He also hoped that the children who had witnessed the horrific attack and loss of their friends would come through this trauma through counselling.

He told Prime Minister Sharif that this moment of shared pain and mourning is also a call for our two countries and all those who believe in humanity to join hands to decisively and comprehensively defeat terrorism, so that the children in Pakistan, India and elsewhere do not have to face a future darkened by the lengthening shadow of terrorism.