PESHAWAR: The people, who lost children in the Army Public School carnage last month, on Tuesday rejected their ‘mere consolation’ by the federal and provincial governments and demanded inquiry into the killings to mete out exemplary punishment to the ‘real’ culprits.

They complained it was unfortunate that 35 days had passed after the massacre but the federal and provincial governments had yet to fix responsibility for the security lapse, which led to the Dec 16 carnage.

The provincial government was quick to accept the demand saying an inquiry would be held into the school carnage.

It said the inquiry would be completed within 15 days and that its details would be shared with parents of the assassinated schoolchildren.

In the day, Chehlum of the 150 people killed in the APS attack was marked officially in the province.

Quran Khawani and prayers for the deceased were organised at the Chief Minister’s House, where PTI chairman Imran Khan, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, provincial ministers, parents of the assassinated students, and members of the APS staff showed up.

The APS students, who had survived violence, were also in attendance along with parents.

Moving scene were seen at the sprawling green lawns of the Chief Minister’s House when the aggrieved parents arrived.

Many of them displayed pictures of their assassinated children on cars with slogans and messages in Urdu language. One of them read, ‘who has my child’s blood on his hands?’

Chief of the Peshawar Shuhada Forum Abid Raza Bangash later told reporters that parents of the assassinated children met Imran Khan and apprised him of their agony over lack of investigation.

He said the PTI chief accepted the parents’ demand to conduct inquiry into the APS attack.

“The inquiry will be completed within 15 days and that its details will be shared with parents,” he said.

Addressing the aggrieved parents, Imran said the schoolchildren’s massacre was more tragic than the 9/11 attacks and announced increase in the amount of compensation for the assassinated students from Rs0.5 million to Rs2 million each.

Push govt for probe to give exemplary punishment to ‘real’ culprits

Now, the provincial government will pay over Rs300 million to families of the deceased each.

The PTI chairman said the government would bear the cost of the treatment of the students injured in the school attack.

“If the treatment is not possible in Pakistan, then the government will send the injured abroad for it,” he said.

Imran said parents could shift their injured children to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre for treatment if they’re not satisfied with the treatment being given to them in government hospitals of the province.

Earlier, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak told parents that the presence of Afghan refugees in the province was a constant threat to the country’s security.

He said he had been in contact with the relevant people of the federal government for the immediate repatriation of Afghan refugees.

The chief minister said his government was making every effort to ensure safety of the people in the province.

Later speaking to reporters outside the Chief Minister’s House, parents of the assassinated schoolchildren made several demands.

Some called for the establishment of a university in the name of assassinated schoolchildren, while others said a public holiday should be declared on December 16 across the country to pay homage to those killed at the APS.

A woman, who lost son in the attack, demanded speedy execution of terrorists to teach others like them a lesson.

She also called for inquiry into the carnage before executing the ‘real’ culprits publicly.

The woman asked if the areas inhabited by the military officers could be provided with tight security, then why the APS was not protected well.

“The rulers and high-ups don’t bother about the assassination of the common man’s children at the APS because their own children study abroad,” she said, adding that all children killed in the Dec 16 attack belonged to the middle or lower middle class.

A group of parents boycotted the Chehlum ceremony complaining about the ‘indecent attitude’ of MPA Shaukat Yousafzai.

They alleged that Yousafzai used abusive language against them when one of them asked him to fix a meeting with the chief minister for help in the treatment of his injured schoolchild.

Published in Dawn January 21st , 2015

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