Govt seeks more time for submitting report in APS tragedy case

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Thursday sought three-week more time for submitting the progress report with the signature of prime minister in the case of a terrorist attack on the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar in 2014, killing about 150 people, including 132 children.

Last year in November, a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsen and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed, while hearing a suo moto case regarding the terrorist attack on the Army Public School (APS), Peshawar, in 2014 had directed the government to submit a progress report with the signature of the prime minister.

The attorney general’s office, however, has submitted an application in the Supreme Court, seeking three-week more time for submitting the progress report with the signature of the prime minister in the APS tragedy matter.

It was submitted in the application that the committee, constituted by Prime Minister Imran Khan, has held the first meeting with the parents of martyred children of the Army Public School adding that the second meeting of the committee was expected to be held, so that the aggrieved parents could be satisfied.

“Therefore, it would be appropriate to wait for the outcome of the second meeting of the committee with the parents of the martyred children of APS and thereafter a comprehensive report dually signed by the prime minister will be submitted before the court in pursuance of its order,” the AG office submitted in its application.

It is pertinent to mention here that last year on December 9, the federal government had sought some three weeks for submitting the progress report with the signature of the prime minister in the case.

Additional Attorney General Sajid Ilyas Bhatti had filed a Civil Miscellaneous Application (CMA) in the matter and sought some three weeks time for submitting the progress report with the signature of the prime minister.

The government had submitted it as the anniversary of attack on APS was being held on December 16 and the prime minister had constituted a committee for meeting the parents of martyred children.

“It would be appropriate to wait for the conclusion of the committee’s meeting with the parents”, the federal government had submitted in the application.The court was informed that on the direction of the prime minister, a committee comprising Shirin Mazari, Umer Ayub, Fehmida Mirza and Sahibzada Mahboob Sultan had been constituted.The court was further informed that attorney general, additional secretary defence and interior will also join the committee on special invitation.