ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan appeared before the country’s top court on Wednesday, promising to take action against negligent officials whose carelessness facilitated the massacre of young children at the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, said information minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain after the court hearing.
A group of heavily armed militants belonging to the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) faction entered the APS building in a high security area of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on December 16, 2014, and killed about 130 children and 17 staff members.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan, which has been hearing a case related to the incident, summoned the prime minister to question if his government had acted against those involved in the attack and those responsible for providing security.
The prime minister during the court hearing said there was “no holy cow” in the country and said he would take action against anyone named by the court, reported the local media.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed said action was taken against low-ranking individuals such as soldiers and watchmen while senior officials were still enjoying their perks and privileges.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan, another member of the bench, maintained the satisfaction of the parents who had lost their children in the attack was necessary.
“The main handlers [responsible for the attack] have already been eliminated,” the information minister told journalists after attending the court hearing. “The [Supreme Court] has now asked us to determine those who had moral obligations. We have a [judicial] commission’s report on this. So, we will complete [our inquiry] and present [its findings] to the court in four weeks.”
Pakistan’s former chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar had appointed a judicial commission in October 2018 to determine the facts related to the massacre. After about two years, the commission submitted its report in July 2020 in the apex court which included the statements of victims’ families.
The country’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the prime minister had “explained the situation” to the top court.
“The Supreme Court has given us four weeks … The prime minister has assured [the judges] that the government will expose those who were responsible, be it an interior minister, people from higher [intelligence] agencies or anyone else,” he said.
In a previous court hearing regarding the case, bereaved families of APS children had complained that the country’s leadership had not taken serious steps against those who were responsible for security negligence.
The top court summoned the prime minister only days after the government announced it had reached a “complete cease-fire” agreement with the TTP.
Thousands of Pakistanis lost their lives in violence generated by TTP militants in the last two decades and the group has accepted responsibility for several high-profile attacks, including an assassination attempt on activist and now Nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai and the attack on APS in Peshawar.
Pakistan top court questions PM over peace talks with militants behind 2014 school massacre
https://arab.news/2wt3w
Pakistan top court questions PM over peace talks with militants behind 2014 school massacre
- Pakistani Taliban killed 134 school children at the Army Public School in Peshawar in 2014
- Parents of children tell court government had not taken serious steps to provide them justice
Pakistan orders four-day workweek, shuts schools to save fuel amid Middle East oil crisis
- The development comes as ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt oil supplies in Strait of Hormuz, push prices past $119 a barrel
- Islamabad bans government purchases, cuts fuel allocation for vehicles as well as workforce in public and private offices by 50 percent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced austerity measures, including a four-day work week, cuts in government expenditures and closure of schools, to offset the impact of rising global oil prices due to an ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Global fuel supply lines have been disrupted in the Strait of Hormuz, which supplies nearly a fourth of world oil consumption, after Tehran blocked it following United States-Israeli strikes on Iran and counterattacks against US interests in the Gulf region.
Oil prices surged more than 25 percent globally on Monday to $119.50 a barrel, the highest levels since mid-2022, as some major producers cut supplies and fears of prolonged shipping disruptions gripped the market due to the expanding US-Israeli war with Iran.
In his televised address on Sunday night, Sharif said global oil prices were expected to rise again in the coming days but vowed not to let the people bear their brunt, announcing austerity measures to lessen the impact of fuel price hikes.
“Fifty percent staff in public and private entities will work from home,” he announced, adding this would not be applicable to essential services. “Offices will remain open for four days a week. One-day additional off is being given to conserve oil, but it would not be applicable to banks.”
Sharif didn’t specify working days of the week and the government was likely to issue a notification in this regard.
He said a decrease of 50 percent was being made in fuel allocation for government vehicles immediately for the next two months, but they would not include ambulances and public buses.
“Cabinet members, advisers and special assistants will not draw salaries for the next two months, 25 percent salaries of parliamentarians are being deducted, two-day salaries of Grade 20 and above officers, or those who are paid Rs300,000 ($1,067) a month, are being deducted for public relief,” he said.
Similarly, there will be 20 percent reduction in public department expenses and a complete ban on the purchase of cars, furniture, air conditioners and other goods, according to the prime minister.
Foreign trips of ministers and other government officials will also be banned along with government dinners and iftar buffets, while teleconferences and online meetings will be given priority.
“All schools will be off for two weeks, starting from the end of this week, and all higher education institutions should immediately begin online classes,” he said.
Sharif’s comments were aired hours after Pakistani authorities said the country had “comfortable levels” of petroleum stocks and the supply chains were functioning smoothly, despite intensifying Middle East conflict.
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said three oil shipments were due to reach Pakistan this week, state media reported.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Navy (PN) launched ‘Operation Muhafiz-ul-Bahr’ to safeguard national energy shipments, the Pakistani military said on Monday, amid disruptions to critical sea lanes due to the conflict.
The navy is conducting escort operations in close coordination with the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing. It is fully cognizant of the prevailing maritime situation and is actively monitoring and controlling the movement of merchant vessels to ensure their safe and secure transit.
“With approximately 90 percent of Pakistan’s trade conducted via sea, the operation aims to ensure that vital sea routes remain safe, secure, and uninterrupted,” the ISPR said on Monday. “Currently, PN ships are escorting 2 x Merchant Vessels, one of which is scheduled to arrive Karachi today.”
