PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and police have informed the Peshawar High Court that after receiving the terror alert from the federal government in Aug 2014 about the possible militant attack on educational institutions run by the military authorities, they had put the managements of all such schools, including that of the Army Public School and College Peshawar, in the picture.

A total of 144 students and staff members were killed in the Dec 16, 2014, militant attack on the APS.

In their joint comments filed in the high court on a petition seeking to make public all information related to the APS carnage, the provincial home secretary and inspector general of police said during that militant attack, the police had performed its duty as per its capacity in the given available resources.

“Threat Alert No. 802 issued by the Nacta on 28.08.2014 was communicated and disseminated to all concerned for appropriate measures on their part and requisite security measures were also taken by the Police Department in the given resources,” they stated in the comments filed few days ago.

The officials stated: “Administration of all under threat schools/ colleges including Army Public School and College Warsak Road Peshawar Cantt was duly informed about the threat alert. SDPO (sub divisional police officer) Cantt, and SHO Michni Gate held meeting with the principal on 01.09.2014 and sensitised her of the Threat Alert and precautionary measures required to be taken in light of an already circulated security advisory.”

Tells PHC principal was sensitised to ‘threat alert’ and precautionary measures required

They said there were 15 educational institutions in Peshawar, which were run by the army authorities, whereas in whole of the province, their number was 80.

Most of those institutions operate in cantonment areas.

In their comments, they had explained the steps taken by the government following the carnage, including the security measures adopted regarding educational institutions and vulnerable and sensitive installations.

The petition is filed by lawyer Ajoon Khan, whose son Asfand Khan was also killed in the attack.

The petitioner requested the high court to direct the federal and provincial governments to make public all the information related to the carnage.

He said after the circulation of the information on Aug 28, 2014, about the possible APS terrorist attack, it was the fundamental right of the students and their parents to know about it and the non-communication of that information amounted to the violation of fundamental rights of the parents, including him.

A high court bench consisting of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Mohammad Daud Khan on Wednesday disposed of a related application filed by mothers of around 30 students, who were killed in the 2014 militant attack, requesting to make the applicants part of Ajoon Khan’s petition.

It observed that Ajoon Khan had already been pleading the case of all parents and the prayer he had made in his petition was related to all aggrieved families.

The applicants said since they were also an affected party to the case, they should be made party to the petition.

When the bench began hearing into the petition, deputy attorney general Manzoor Khalil said the detailed report had also been submitted on behalf of the federal government.

The bench observed that if the government considered that if there were certain documents, which could not be placed on file, then the court would look into them in camera.

The petitioner requested the bench to provide him with time to examine the report of the federal government and file rejoinder.

The bench fixed the next hearing into the petition for June 2.

The petitioner informed that he had already filed a rejoinder to the comments filed by the home secretary and IGP.

In the rejoinder, he said the Dec 16, 2014, events had been narrated in very ambiguous terms.

“The militant attack began at 10am and continued until the evening but no details of the arrival of police personnel and their action against attackers have been given,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2016