It
was a typical cold December morning of Peshawar with pale sunshine in the early
hours of the day. Ever since the fall of Dhaka in 1971, 16 December is
otherwise happens to be very morbid and melancholic every year. The life had
already started in the city. The public was trying to reach their respective
work places while the children were raring to go to their institutions in-time.
Among them were the students of the ill fated Army Public School Peshawar aka
APS. They were ranging from 5 years to 18 years from class play group to as
high as the intermediate classes. They were
onverging to their school from the different parts of the metropolis,
though most of them were from the army families. Some were old students while
few were the new comers who joined the school hardly few days ago. Exactly
at the same time around seven foreign nationals including one local, three
Arabs, two Afghans and one Chechen also left their nightstand, located in a
nearby village. Their short journey was also to be culminated at the same
destination; APS Peshawar. Soon after the morning assembly the students
approached to their classes while senior classes reported to the school
auditorium where a seminar was to be inaugurated. It was all settled, quiet and
calm when suddenly a person with very unfriendly appearance and attire banged
into the hall while shouting slogans and blew himself up amid a group of
students attending the seminar. It was blood all over, screams and squeals,
panic and shouts for help. The school staff was still under shock when six
other rugged looking armed militants wearing military uniforms forced their way
into the school. Some of them started firing indiscriminately while the others
made the principal and about 20 teachers along with a group of 34 students
hostage for eight hours.
By
now it was clear and confirmed to everyone that who they are and what were
their intentions, since they had brutally assassinated dozens of innocent and
unarmed children and school staff within no time. They entered the school and
opened fire on school staff and kids, killing 141 people, including 132
schoolchildren, ranging between eight and eighteen years of age. A rescue
operation against these terrorists was launched by Pakistan Army’s Special
Service Group (SSG) which began at 1000 hours local time and ended at 1800
hours. The teachers and students held hostage were freed while all the
terrorists were killed. The terrorists remained in contact with their handlers
all along the attack until the security forces intercepted the terrorists’
communications and the handlers, who were also nabbed within days, were finally
shown the way to gallows on 2 December 2015. What happened afterwards is never
a secret and known to all and sundries. There were almost 150 houses mourning
on the deaths of their beloved ones; innocents who left for not to come back
ever again. Every house and every family has a depressing tale. Those innocents
will be missed for times to come. The bereaved families and especially the
mothers will always remain restless for one or the other tragic reason.
December
16 which was marked and observed as a Black Day in Pakistan ever since December
1971 is now being observed asBlack Day for yet another reason; destruction of a
peaceful non-military installation, known as ‘School in any country or society
and ruthless killing of a totally peaceful and unarmed army of innocents who
were callously tortured to death by a group of inhuman and barbarian animals.
It was not a military base; it was not a military camp where soldiers were
being trained to kill them. It was an ‘insignificant’ school. A school, where
small kids are educated with books and stuff to make peace with people, with
humanly and developed mind and thought process. Even animals have a sense of
mercy for the cubs in their instinct; however, these heartless were devoid of
that.
Its
exact one year that the tragedy has passed. We are remembering those innocents,
mourning, appreciating army, criticizing the killers and doing everything else
less showing a concern and care for future. In January 2015, a
20-point National Action Plan on counter-terrorism was finalized in a
day-long meeting of the heads of all parliamentary parties at the PM House and
was announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a televised address to the
nation. Almost 15 apex committees and sub-committees were set up to expedite
the implementation of the National Action Plan; however, no plausible
developments have been witnessed so far. Ironically, the inability on the part
of government was covered with false projection about serious civil-military
trust deficit on many issue related to NAP implementation. Some political
quarters even made foul cries in fear of their imminent dethroning. No doubt
was left about the inability and evident reluctance on the part of political
leadership which was and unfortunately, still it is a major contributing factor
affecting the implementation of NAP.
Although
the armed forces are doing their best and are giving the sacrifices in the line
of duty, nevertheless, the forces alone cannot do wonders. The main
responsibility lies with the government in chair. Unfortunately many decisions
taken soon after the APS Peshawar carnage are still suspended in the mid air
with no visible fate. One such hope to tackle the terrorism was National
Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA). Unfortunately its full-scaled activation
is in limbo even after six years of its creation. According to the sources,
ministry estimated Rs 32 billion budget for implementation of First National
Internal Security Policy (NISP) and re-activation of NACTA. However, the
federal budget for 2014-15 reduced allocations from Rs 95 million to Rs 92
million, out of which Rs 63 million were merely allocated for administrative
and salary-related expenses. The federal government has ignored NACTA in the
budget for 2015-16 as no funds have been allocated for the authority in the
PSDP. Hence lack of allocation of resources for NACTA and non framing of
service rules for the authority etc make NACTA a real midsummer night dream.
With the government focusing on expensive infrastructural projects such as
Islamabad Metro Bus Project and now the Orange Line in Lahore, What kind of an
effective role is expected by the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA),
which does not even have the basic staffing required for functioning and who
may be blamed for such state of affairs?
The
most embarrassing part is that according to the sources there is currently a
tussle going on; between the Interior Ministry and the PM secretariat for
a number of reasons including an exercise on “civil-military divide”. Actually,
the political government is perhaps scared and wants it to be seen as an army
venture to avoid backlash from the militants, since army is leading the
initiative till today. The positive role played by some of the federal
ministries, those are taking steps in the right direction – though the pace is
quite slow – should not go unnoted. Interior ministry has prepared rules and
regulations for International Non-governmental Organizations (INGOs) and local
NGOs and policy draft over arms licenses has also been prepared, waiting for
its fate.
Despite
the fact that no government can defeat terrorism without corking the illicit
money which provides oxygen to the terror networks and other mafias working
against the interest of the state, it appears that the civilian leaders lack
political will to block the supply of it. In all the provinces, there are
strong politicians, government associates who have become ‘untouchables’ for
anti-corruption drive. It would be an open challenge for the PM who has to
display the state’s writ and to allow the state institutions to bring all
corrupt to book whether they belong to the ruling party or to the opposition.
The
most distressing and upsetting part is the performance of our judiciary.
Unfortunately, over past few years, hundreds of them are caught and many of
them are behind the bars right now, waiting for their death which was suspended
due to some unknown fear. During last four years, 14,115 persons in
terrorism-related cases were acquitted and 10,387 were granted bail, while only
one hundred were hanged. The judiciary and the authorities must realize that
this was maximum what the rogues could do and they did it. Now, it’s time to
take the matter seriously and to take severe action, not only against the
killers but their accomplices in any form, too. May they are their
facilitators, informers, abettors or anyone. To avoid any future black day, the
nation needs to unite and to be on one page now.
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