Top court seeks govt response on Peshawar school massacre report

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has directed the government to submit its response on the report into the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar massacre that left 149 martyred — 132 of them schoolchildren — six years ago, Geo News reported.

The directives were issued by a two-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, hearing the case related to the APS carnage. The bench directed that the APS report should be submitted to the Attorney-General and asked him to take instructions from the government and inform the court.

The incident is considered as one of the worst terrorist attacks in the country and in the region that shook the entire world. The government had launched a National Action Plan across the country after the incident to go after the terrorist groups and improve the law and order. During the hearing, parents of the martyred schoolchildren appeared before the apex court and asked the bench to provide them with justice. “What happened to you was very wrong. This should have not happened at any cost,” remarked the Chief Justice after hearing the parents.

Justice Gulzar added that he “empathised” with the parents. The parents, after listening to the top judge, told the court that they could not live in Pakistan as their kids are “not safe” in the country.

“Do not say such things. The court will give its decision on the facts that included in this report,” Justice Gulzar assured the parents. He also asked them what they wanted in justice. “We should be provided a copy of the report,” the parents responded to the CJP.

The CJP informed the parents that it was a secret report and the Attorney-General was being given a copy of that. He added that the apex court would speak according to the Constitution and law.

“We formed the commission and we will take it to its logical end,” said the CJP. He also vowed that the court will not let those who were responsible for the shortcomings off the hook.Last month, the commission set up to probe the APS attack submitted an over 3000-page report to the Supreme Court. The commission was set up on the directives of then chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar at the request of the parents and families of the martyrs in 2018.