Shuhada Forum calls for judicial probe into APS attack

PESHAWAR: The Army Public School (APS) Shuhada Forum on Tuesday renewed the demand for constitution of a Judicial Commission to probe the attack on the school and punish the officials concerned for negligence in protecting the school.

The demand was made by the parents of the martyred schoolchildren of the APS and office-bearers of the forum during a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club.President of the forum, Abid Raza Bangash said few details have been provided to the parents and the nation as to what actually happened on that fateful day even after one year of the tragedy.

He said though the government had made verbal and hollow pledges with the parents, nothing in practical was done.Criticising the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government and the party leadership, he said the PTI chief Imran Khan has been hesitating from uttering a single word for forming a judicial commission or any investigation into the incident.

Flanked by APS Shuhada Forum deputy president Zahid Khan Durrani and others, Abid Raza Bangash recalled that Imran Khan made various pledges with the families of the victims while those at the helm of affairs in the provincial government did not even bother to meet with the parents of the martyred students and address their grievances.

The Shuhada Forum office-bearers asked the government to give gallantry awards to the martyrs as pledged by the Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, announce public holiday on December 16 to remember the tragedy and include a lesson about the incident in the syllabus of the schools.

They also demanded exemplary punishment to the government officials responsible for providing security to the school. They stressed that action must be taken against the officials to avoid such tragedies in future.