APS victims’ families

Published September 5, 2016

SOME press is bad press, and always will be. Appearing insensitive to the parents of those who were murdered in the APS Peshawar attack falls in this category. On Thursday, around 60 protesters, including parents of some of the victims, were turned back by the police from entering Islamabad’s high-security Red Zone after they arrived in the capital. The group was planning to stage a demonstration outside parliament to register their protest against the government’s failure to order a judicial inquiry into the massacre, as had been announced by the president. They also wanted to meet the prime minister to demand that the state fulfil the commitments made to them in connection with the attack. Upon being thwarted, the protesters chanted slogans against the government and threatened self-immolation. Finally, a minister from Islamabad’s development division, CADD, brought the fraught situation under control with assurances that the meeting they sought would take place next week.

One could argue that an appointment with the country’s chief executive cannot take place without going through the formalities. However, the niceties of protocol are irrelevant here. For most of the country, Dec 16, 2014, was a watershed that, in its remorseless brutality, brought home the urgency with which the battle against terrorism had to be fought. But for the families of those who met their end that day, it was the beginning of a never-ending nightmare, a torment that can perhaps only partially be assuaged by getting answers to burning questions: eg, who exactly were the attackers, how did they succeed in their task in such a high-security area, etc. That is far from an unreasonable demand: we too should be asking the same instead of accepting glib, pre-packaged responses. Some of the planners and perpetrators of the attack have been brought to book, or so we are told. But as they say, “Justice must not only be done; it must also be seen to be done”. Closure continues to elude the APS victims’ families.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...