Govt seeks more time to submit APS report

SC told body formed to meet parents of martyrs

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government on Thursday sought three more weeks from the Supreme Court to file a progress report in the Army Public School (APS) attack case.

It urged the top court that additional time should be granted so that a comprehensive report bearing the premier’s signature could be submitted.

It informed the apex court that Prime Minister Imran Khan had formed a committee to meet the parents of martyrs of APS in the light of the orders of the Supreme Court.

The body includes Human Right Minister Shireen Mazari, Energy Minister Umar Ayub, Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination Fahmida Mirza, Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan.

The special invitees are: Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan or his nominee, and the defence and interior additional secretaries.

The application stated that it would be appropriate if the outcome of the cabinet committee meeting may be allowed to be incorporated in the report to be submitted before the Supreme Court in compliance with the court’s November 11 order.

The application noted that the anniversary of the Martyrs of APS Peshawar falls on December 16. "In view of the foregoing, it is humbly submitted that this Hon'ble Court may be pleased to extend the time for submission of report by three weeks so that a comprehensive report is submitted before this Hon'ble Court in compliance of the said order," says the application.

The government said that it would submit its reply following a meeting between the parents of the APS martyrs and the committee.

Also read: Seven years on, all ‘perpetrators of APS attack met their fate’

In the order the Supreme Court had mentioned the names taken by some of the despondent mothers of the children pointing fingers at former army chief retd Gen Raheel Sharif, former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ahmed, then interior secretary Akhtar Shah, former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak, former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Zaheerul Islam Abbasi and former corps commander of Peshawar retd Gen Hidayatur Rehman.

Earlier, the SC had ordered that a report with the prime minister’s signature be submitted within four weeks. The court’s deadline for submission of the report is Dec 10.

Last month, the Supreme Court had asked the federal government about its inaction against the then top security hierarchy of the country when militants attacked the APS on December 16, 2014, in Peshawar in which more than 145 people, mostly schoolchildren, were martyred.

The court also grilled PM Imran over the government’s ongoing talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Wondering that those in charge of the security at that time were now enjoying their lives after receiving guard of honour, and other perks and privileges upon retirement, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed ordered the federal government to take action against those who showed negligence in the APS tragedy.

The prime minister informed the apex court that the federal government would definitely take action on whatever order it was given by the apex court against the negligent officials. He said that he believed in rule of law and there was no sacred cow in the country.

However, the prime minister stressed that without any finding in the inquiry commission, the government could not take action against individuals, who were being nominated by the parents of deceased children.

A three-judge bench — headed by the chief justice of Pakistan, and comprising Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin Ahmed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan -- instructed the government to submit a report – signed by the prime minister – in this regard in four weeks. The court further asked the government to conduct an inquiry after hearing the version of the parents of the martyred children.