APS parents disappointed by judicial probe

In 2018 Supreme Court had ordered the formation of a judicial commission to probe the carnage

PESHAWAR:

In the aftermath of the Army Public School (APS) massacre, parents of the martyrs had urged the country’s apex court to investigate the national tragedy which claimed 149 innocent lives in December of 2014. As a result, four years after the attack, in October 2018, the Supreme Court had ordered the formation of a judicial commission to probe the carnage. The commission, which was led by a judge from Peshawar High Court, was expected to produce a detailed report of its findings within the next six weeks.

However, recent declassification of the commission’s report upon order of the presiding chief justice, reveals that the enquiry report had left a lot to be desired. Parents of the martyrs believe that the 3,000 page document, containing statements of 132 people, including witnesses and security officers, is an inadequate summary of the events which transpired on the eve of December 16 2014. Rejecting the now publically available report, parents said that they had expected a lot more come from the probe than what has been published. “We wanted fixing of responsibility on those in-charge of security and intelligence—not those deputed at the gates,” resented the victims’ kinsfolk. “After providing detailed accounts of everything that happened, we expected a verdict against those responsible for the security lapse, but no such retribution was offered,” they added.

Aurangzeb, father of one APS martyr, said that his son was still alive when he met him after the attack and had narrated the entire scene of the massacre to him. “I had recorded my son’s statement, which the commission also filed in its report. Though I am sure these testaments would have been enough to produce incriminating evidence, but yet those at the helm of affairs were not identified,” he expressed.

The father, who still lives through the horrors of the December 2014 massacre, represents one among 149 families actively seeking justice for their sons and daughters. The pain, Aurangzeb said, has been etched into his heart. But while his loss is irrecoverable, he his fellow parents will not find peace until he sees the culprits being punished for their murderous callousness.

“What’s there to be satisfied about? This report is nothing but a compilation of the accounts we offered. This is our story, we already know everything written in there,” commented Abdul Wahid Qadri, relative of another martyr. Speaking on behalf of all kinsfolk of the attack victims, Qadri said that what he is concerned about how and why did the authorities in-charge failed to protect his children. “Learning who extinguished the fire on a burning vehicle which enabled militants enter the school is no good to us,” he told. “The commission’s duty was not to publish what’s already known, but to use provided evidence to pin-point those who failed to fulfill their obligation and bring them to justice.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2020.