THE nation recently observed the 10th anniversary of the Army Public School (APS) massacre that hit the country on Dec 16, 2014. Some crimes are just too heinous and brutal to be forgotten. There should be no reprieve or pardon for the monsters involved in the cold-blooded murder of innocent children.

Carrying the coffin of one’s child is the biggest burden any parent can ever be made to carry. The affected parents know that this is a never-ending odyssey of grief that they will carry to their graves.

As many as 145 innocent students in Peshawar were ruthlessly massacred by extremists associated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), with the official spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, accepting the responsibility for committing this barbarity.

Ironically, the party heading the provi-ncial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) at the time was too busy focussing on its round-the-clock televised sit-in in Islamabad. It called off the protest three days later.

The fact remains that the school was located in Peshawar cantonment, and basically it was its responsibility to provide security to the innocent children. Yet, despite the grievous nature of the crime, Ehsanullah Ehsan and members of his family managed to escape from custody in January 2020, which was another unforgivable security lapse.

Nothing could justify this injustice to the parents of the victims. The unfor- tunate parents have been waiting for justice and closure. Let justice be done.

Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2024