PHC orders APS attack report to be made public

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday ordered the police report of the Army Public School tragedy to be made public. 

On December 16, 2014, terrorists stormed the army-run school and killed about 150 people, including more than 130 young students. 

During a hearing of the case by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Afsar Shah, the police today submitted their inquiry report pertaining to the attack.

The APS Martyrs Forum had moved the province's high court to form a judicial commision and to make the inquiry report of the attack public, however, the court had remarked that it does not have the right to form a judicial forum as it is formed by the provincial government. 

Earlier in 2016, the mothers of APS victims had also submitted an application to the PHC requesting the court to make them a party to the writ petition to seek orders for the federal and provincial governments to make all the information on the school carnage public.

The writ petition was filed by a lawyer Ajoon Khan, whose young son was also killed in the attack. He sought orders for the federal and provincial governments to make all the information on the campus carnage public.

In the petition, lawyer Ajun Khan, father of student Asfand Khan, said consequent to the information of the apparent terrorist attack on the APS, it was the fundamental right of the students and their parents to know about it. He said non-communication of that information amounted to the violation of fundamental rights of the parents, including him.

The brazen attack shook the country and resulted in the formation of a National Action Plan (NAP) to stem extremism and terrorism from the country, as well as the creation of military courts to try 'hardcore' terrorists.