#Peshawar - Families of Army Public School victims still await justice

Expressing dismay over the delay in fair and transparent investigation, siblings of the Army Public School (APS) victims have warned the government that if it fails to provide justice they will raise the issue at international forums.

“The government is hushing up parents instead of conducting proper investigation into the matter,” said sisters of the APS victims, Palwasha Amin, Mehwish Tariq and Hafsa Durrani while addressing a press conference at the local press club on Thursday.

On December 16, 2014, seven terrorists stormed into the APS in Peshawar and massacred 141 students, teachers and staff.

Palwasha Amin lamented that she had been striving for justice for more than two years, but her plea was falling on deaf ears. “Despite provision of evidences of the attack, the government institutions are not taking any action against those responsible for the attack.”

Denying it was a terror attack, she said it was the government’s incompetency that such a major attack took place in the city. “I want justice for two of my brothers who were sprayed with bullets and if the government fails, I will take up the issue at international forums.”

She made it clear that she did not want a single penny from organisations, but instead “justice for the martyred souls.”

She asked, “When the Supreme Court can disqualify a sitting prime minister [Nawaz Sharif], then why isn’t it taking suo motu action against the APS attack?” The Supreme Court should have constituted a judicial commission to probe the attack, she added.

Another sister of the APS victims, who wished not to be named, said, “Maryam [daughter of Nawaz Sharif] once said that there are some secrets in her father’s [Sharif] heart. What are those secrets? Nawaz Sharif should tell them to the nation if it’s about the APS incident.”

Lauding the court for disqualifying Sharif, she said that owing to weak policies of the government, many of us had become victims of terrorism in the country. “Those who made an alliance with ‘banned outfits’ for succeeding in elections, ruled the country for more than four years, but even then they have yet to properly investigate the APS attack.”

She urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar to order a fair investigation into the attack and punish those responsible for it. “We want punishment for those who killed our brothers.”