ISLAMABAD, May 27: Former law minister Senator Babar Awan has asked the Supreme Court to take notice of the May 25 incident in which 16 children and a teacher died after their school van caught fire near Gujrat.

In an application filed on Monday, Mr Awan urged the court to take a suo motu notice and hear the matter on an urgent basis.

The senator has named as respondents the chief secretary of Punjab, home secretaries of the four provinces, the chief commissioner of the Islamabad Capital Territory, the motor vehicle authorities of all the provinces and the motor vehicle examiner of Gujrat; SP Traffic, Gujrat and Islamabad; the Inspector General, Motorway, Islamabad; and IG Punjab.

He requested the court to direct the police to treat the incident as an act of terrorism and register an FIR under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, because it had shaken millions of people in the country.

He sought information about vehicles converted from petrol to CNG.

The senator said it was unfortunate and depressing that three children of a police official had lost their lives in the tragedy and the fourth received severe burn injuries.

He recalled that the apex court had taken notice of the incident in which 35 school students had died after their vehicle on a trip to salt mines resort skidded off the motorway and fell into a ditch in Kallar Kahar on Sept 27, 2011.