LAHORE/PESHAWAR: The spokesman of a commission set up last year to investigate a 2014 militant attack in which 132 children were killed in the Pakistani city of Peshawar said on Friday there was “no set timeline” for when the body would deliver its final report.
Over 150 people, most of them children were gunned down by Taliban militants in an attack on an army-run school in the northwestern town of Peshawar on December 16, 2014, the bloodiest massacre the country had seen for years.
Last October, four years after the attack, the Supreme Court formed a one-man commission comprising Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Khan of the Peshawar High Court and gave him six weeks to compile a report into the causes of the attack, including official negligence.
Over a year later, the findings of the commission have yet to be submitted before the top court.
“Justice Khan is a serving judge; whenever he gets time from his court responsibilities he works on the report,” Imran Ullah, the focal person of the commission, told Arab News when asked when the investigation would be completed and the confidential report submitted to the court. “There is no set timeline. It could take a while.”
Though Pakistan executed four men for involvement in the massacre in 2015, parents of the victims have made calls for a high-level investigation that would identify officials, both civil and military, whose negligence allowed the attack to take place.
The parents’ plea revolves around a letter by the National Counter Terrorism Authority, written a few months prior to the assault, alerting authorities about a plan to hit an army-run educational institution.
“Why was the security of the school not increased? Why was the threat not taken seriously?” said Ajoon Khan, a lawyer who represents some of the victims’ parents and whose son was also gunned down in the attack. “All those responsible should be made accountable.”
Until now, the commission has recorded the statements of a 100 parents and 50 state officials from the military, police, and bureaucracy, the commission’s spokesman said, adding that the final report had been delayed on account of many of the statements being very long and therefore difficult to compile, as well as due to a delayed response from military officials to a list of queries.
Andaleeb Aftab, a longtime teacher at the army school, whose 16-year-old son was killed in the attack, said she had little expectation the commission would deliver justice.
“The commission has been working for over a year and so far there is only silence from their side," Aftab said. "Our children were innocent. They were young. They had their whole life in front of them. But no one wants to give us justice.”
'No set timeline' for Peshawar school attack commission report — spokesman
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'No set timeline' for Peshawar school attack commission report — spokesman
- Over 150 people, most of them children were gunned down by Taliban militants in an attack on an army-run school in Dec. 2014
- Parents of the victims have made calls for a high-level investigation to identify officials, both civil and military, whose negligence allowed the attack to take place
Ramadan tests Pakistan’s daily wage workers but faith endures
- Reduced work hours during fasting month cut already fragile incomes
- Charities, local businesses step in as laborers try to support families back home
ISLAMABAD: Abdul Waqif grips a worn-out shovel and digs into the earth beneath the harsh midday sun, his body bent with age but still moving steadily. Moments later, the 70-year-old hoists a heavy bag of cement onto his shoulders and carries it toward an under-construction house, all while fasting.
For Waqif and thousands of daily wage laborers across Pakistan, Ramadan is not just a month of spiritual devotion. It is also a month of shrinking incomes.
Waqif migrated from Mohmand tribal district in northwestern Pakistan to Islamabad two decades ago in search of work. Like many laborers from rural and former tribal areas, he left behind limited local opportunities to earn a living in larger cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
In Pakistan, daily wage workers, particularly in construction and manual labor, are among the most economically vulnerable. They are paid only for days worked, receive no job security or benefits, and often rely on informal arrangements. Any slowdown in economic activity directly affects their ability to feed their families.
Economic activity typically slows during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Employers often reduce work hours or postpone physically demanding projects to ease the burden on fasting workers. While intended as a gesture of consideration, it means fewer working hours and fewer earnings.
For laborers such as Waqif, who earns between Rs1,000-1,200 [$3.59-4.31] per day, even a slight reduction in work can be devastating.
His suhoor, the pre-dawn meal before fasting begins, usually consists of a few chapatis from a nearby hotel. The hunger and thirst that follow him through the day are constant companions as he lifts bricks and mixes cement in the heat.
But so is his faith.
“Allah gives me courage. I am hungry and thirsty, but I keep working,” Waqif said while wiping the sweat off his brow.
Back in Mohmand district, his wife, four daughters and two sons depend on the money he sends home. Every rupee matters.
“I support them with this work,” Waqif said. “I eat three meals a day here and I also have to save money for my children and send it to them.”
The reduction in work during Ramadan weighs heavily on him.
“I don’t find much work in Ramadan, and I’m worried for my family,” Waqif said.
‘HONEST LIVING’
Finding food for suhoor is sometimes a challenge. On some mornings, someone offers him a piece of flatbread. Other times, he buys what little he can afford from a nearby eatery.
Muhammad Sajid, owner of Al-Hadi restaurant in Islamabad’s G-15 sector, says he tries to ease that burden by offering meals to laborers at half price.
“We don’t let anyone go hungry,” Sajid told Arab News. “We offer sehri and iftar as much as anyone can afford.”
The restaurant serves tea, yogurt, several types of curries and parathas.
Charity groups also expand operations during Ramadan, when community support traditionally increases. The Junaid Welfare Foundation runs a roadside dastarkhwan, or communal meal spread, serving hundreds daily.
Haq Rawan Shareefi, a manager at the foundation, said around 500 people are provided iftar meals each day. The cost of one person’s iftar is Rs200 [$0.72].
“That means, on iftar and sehri, our expenses range from Rs150,000 [$538.97] to Rs200,000 [$718.63],” Shareefi said.
For Waqif, breaking his fast at sunset brings temporary relief from the physical strain of the day. But the financial uncertainty remains.
“I ask Allah for this,” he said. “May Allah give me strength to earn honest living for my children.”
