SC disposes of APS carnage suo motu case

Commission can submit report once witness testimonies are recorded: apex court

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday disposed of the suo motu case pertaining to the 2014 Army Public School carnage.

At least 140 people, most of them children, were martyred when militants stormed the school on December 16, 2014 – making it one of the most traumatising attacks in the history of the country.

Unsatisfied by the investigation of the terrorist attack, parents of the victims had staged a protest outside the Peshawar High Court (PHC) in May 2018 urging Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to take suo motu notice of the matter.

Following which, a two-member bench headed by the chief justice heard an application submitted by the APS Martyrs Forum – led by mothers of the victims, and ordered the formation of a judicial commission to probe the carnage.



During today's hearing, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advocate general informed the apex court that 147 witness testimonies have been recorded while another 109 are in the process of being recorded. He added that the commission cannot submit a report until all testimonies are recorded.

Taking the provincial advocate general’s statement in consideration, the bench observed that the suo motu case will be wrapped up and directed the authorities to submit the commission report once witness statements were recorded.