Islamabad [Pakistan]: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that there are “no sacred cows” in Pakistan as he appeared in connection with a case pertaining to the 2014 Army Public School massacre in Peshawar.
The Pakistan Prime Minister was summoned by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed in a suo motu case pertaining to the 2014 school massacre in Peshawar where Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists stormed the school and killed over 140 people, mostly schoolchildren on December 16, 2014, reported Geo News. In a plea to the SC, the parents of the children demanded that the top leadership of the country be nominated in the case and a transparent probe be conducted into the incident.
At the time of the incident, Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was the ruling provincial government and seven years had passed since the tragedy took place.
Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, part of the bench reviewing the case, said it is important to satisfy the parents who had lost their children to such a barbaric act. “The parents demand that the leadership of the time be prosecuted,” he said.
In response, the prime minister acknowledged that when the massacre took place, his party was in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The prime minister said he had met the parents, who were paralysed with grief, in hospitals, reported Geo News.
“We took whatever remedial measures we could at the time,” said the prime minister.
At this, the chief justice told the prime minister that the parents of the victims were not seeking compensation from the government. “The parents are demanding to know where the entire security apparatus was [that day]?” he said.
“Despite our clear orders, nothing was done,” the chief justice observed.
Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed, speaking to Prime Minister Imran Khan, said: “You have brought the culprits to the negotiating table. Are we once again about to sign a surrender document?”
He was referring to a ceasefire agreement reached by the government with the banned TTP — the terrorist group behind the attack.
The Supreme Court said the government should pay heed to the demands made by the parents and take action against the culprits, reported Geo News.
Earlier today, the court had asked the attorney general for an update regarding the registration of the cases, who responded by saying that FIRs cannot be filed against the top officials.
At this, the bench angrily had told the government’s lawyer that the incident had taken place as a result of a “security lapse” which the government should accept, adding that the top civil and military leaders of the time should have known about the attack.
The chief justice then remarked that Pakistan’s agencies and institutions have access to all sorts of information, but when it comes to the security of the people “our security agencies fail”. (ANI)
