The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the federal government to take action against officials who showed negligence in the Army Public School tragedy. The court also directed PM Khan to submit a report in this regard within four weeks.
Earlier, the Supreme Court of Pakistan summoned Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Army Public School (APS) case. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed heard the case.
The apex court summoned the prime minister in his personal capacity to appear before the court at 11:30 am.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmad said that the court would talk to the prime minister and ask him about the progress in the case. The CJP asked the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) if Prime Minister Khan had read the court order. On which the AGP told the court that he did not send the notice to the prime minister.
Read more: Massacre at Army Public School: Questions that continue to haunt?
On this note, the Chief Justice expressed anger at the “non-serious attitude,” and demanded that PM Khan appears before the court in personal capacity by 11:30 am today.
#BREAKING | Pakistan Prime Minister @ImranKhan has been summoned by Supreme Court of Pakistan in the APS massacre case.
A judicial commission investigating the 2014 #Peshawar APS attack had submitted its report to the Supreme Court of #Pakistan in July 2020.#APSAttack
— Subodh Kumar (@kumarsubodh_) November 10, 2021
PM Khan arrives at Supreme Court
After the summon, PM Khan arrived at the court and Federal Minster Fawad Hussain, along with Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed accompanied him.
The Chief Justice questioned PM Khan regarding the steps taken by the state to provide justice to the parents of the APS martyrs.
PM Khan replied that he was not in power at that time. However, PTI was in power in KP and took all necessary measures.
“We made a National Action Plan after the tragedy,” the PM replied. “We won the war because the whole nation stood with Pakistan Army.
PM further said, “We have formed the National Intelligence Coordination Committee which is looking into the matter.”
Justice Ijazul Ahsan said to the premier that he is in power and it was his responsibility to take care of the martyred children’s parents.
Concluding the day’s proceedings, the hearing was adjourned and the premier left the court premises.
The APS case
On Dec 16, 2014, six Taliban terrorists entered APS and martyred nearly 150 people, including more than 130 schoolchildren. The terror organization Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack in Pakistan’s history.
Unfortunately, I was among those journalists who went inside APS after the attack in 2014.
I cannot share those details as I took years to overcome that emotional trauma.
I still feel pain and December is not far away.
I was a day of pain and sorrow for all of us.— Munir Ahmed (@munirahmedap) November 8, 2021
The carnage prompted the government to declare an all-out war against terrorist outfits. In the wake of the attack, the government set up military courts for trying the terrorists under amendments made to the Constitution and the Army Act. As a result, 310 militants received death sentences and 56 of them have been executed so far.
While the government dealt with the aftermath of the attack, parents of the victims demanded that the Supreme Court register cases against the top civil-military leadership as well. The parents also demanded transparency in the cases.
On this note, the Supreme Court directed the AGP to take the necessary steps and informed the court. However, the AGP failed to do so, claiming that FIRs cannot be registered against the country’s top civil-military leadership.
Read more: DG-ISI, COAS & PM Khan – Pakistan’s new powerful troika
At this, the court expressed anger and lambasted the AGP. It also stated that the attack happened as a response to Operation Zarb-e-Azb.
While the AGP sought more time to seek directives from PM Khan, the court said it will directly ask the Prime Minister.