ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: It’s been a year since the barbaric incident took place at the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar but the parents of martyred students continue to seek their demands fulfilled with strong voices.
A total of 132 school children among 144 persons were martyred when a group of terrorists opened fire on them at the APS Peshawar on December 16, 2014. The incident brought dramatic changes in initiatives by the country’s leadership against terror outfits.
However, the parents of those children who fell victim to the APS terror attack are still protesting, arguing that the federal as well as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government have not acted as per their demands.
The strong protest by the APS martyrs’ protests again took place on Wednesday when the ruling party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan was addressing at the launching ceremony of a monument construction in memory of the martyred students at the Archives Library in Peshawar.
The protesting parents chanted slogans against the governments and demanded a judicial inquiry into the attack on the APS Peshawar.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan invited the father of a martyred APS student Sahibzada Umar Khan, Fazal Khan Advocate, to express their reservations and assured that the provincial government will make all out efforts to fulfil the demands of the martyrs’ parents.
Courtesy: 92 News
Fazal Khan was of the view that they didn’t need money, plots of land or other compensation in return for the blood of their children.
“Everything happening in the context of the APS attack is a drama? Why provincial police chief Nasir Khan Durrani was not suspended even though he stated that the APS incident occurred due to security negligence,” Fazal Khan questioned.
Fazal Khan claimed that in a statement published in different media outlets including Dawn on November 14, 2015, the Inspector General Police (IGP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Nasir Khan Durrani confessed the security failure at the APS.
“Why he (IGP) has not been suspended till now”, he questioned.
He also questioned that the federal government on August 28, 2014 had issued a warning to provincial government of a possible terror attack on the APS Peshawar but yet only a police head-constable and a constable were deputed at the school.
In addition, Fazal Khan also asked that how an army major who was also present at the auditorium of the school during the attack survived the attack while all others were killed.
“Only a judicial commission can properly investigate the gory incident of APS,” he stressed.
In response, Imran Khan told the parents that though they are not able to bring back the martyred students to life, the only thing they can do is to pray for them.
The PTI chairman assured the protesters that he will try his best to meet their demands and no stone will be left unturned in this regard.
Following are some of demands of families:
Demands of APS parents.
1-Judicial inquiry
2-They questioned why security was thin and only two policemen were standing outside gate of APS at the time of attack. They claimed that KPK government got information from intelligence agencies on August 28, 2015 that APS was on hit list of terrorists but nothing was done for the security of children.
3-State must apology
4-Demanding admissions in private education institutions like LUMS and study abroad, while Govt and Army offers them in Public and Army institutions, even they paid fees of those got admissions in LUMS
5- Some parents returns tickets of Umrah offered to them with “Thanks” .
6- Why government is avoiding judicial inquiry and why Army is not sharing its inquiry regarding security lapses?
