August 21, 2026
By Syed Zahid Usman
PESHAWAR
As the world marks the International Day in memory of the victims of terrorism, the victims’ parents of the 2014 Army Public School (APS) attack are still waiting for those responsible for security lapses to be identified and held accountable despite the passage of more than 11 years.
December 16, 2014 is a day etched deep in Pakistan’s history when the entire nation was plunged in deep mourning. A terrorist attack carried out on the students of Army Public School in Peshawar, 147 people were martyred, a large number of them innocent students. More than eleven years have now passed since the tragedy, but one question still lives in the hearts of the martyrs’ parents: does responsibility for the killing of their children rest with the attackers alone, or do the security failures that allowed the terrorists to reach the school also bear responsibility?
Terrorists sentenced, but parents’ questions remain
Following the APS attack, the state took action against the terrorists — several were arrested, many were sentenced by the courts, and some were even hanged.
But the position of the martyrs’ parents has been clear from the start: punishing the attackers alone is not complete justice. Their question was — how did terrorists manage to reach a school in such a highly sensitive, heavily guarded area? Where did the lapse in the school’s security occur? Who provided the terrorists with local facilitation? And if there was negligence in security, why were those responsible never identified?
These questions did not fade with time; they have grown deeper with every passing year.
Implementation of the Judicial Commission report
Shahana Bibi, the mother of Isfandyar Khan, a ninth-grade student who was martyred in the APS incident, said that in pursuit of justice she knocked on the doors of the courts. Initially, a petition was filed in the Peshawar High Court demanding a judicial inquiry into the tragedy. According to her, when Chief Justice Saqib Nisar visited Peshawar and she learned of it, she went with the other parents to present their plea.
She says that the Chief Justice had said at the time, “What injustice is this, that you still haven’t received justice to this day.” At that time, acting on the parents’ request, the Supreme Court in 2018 ordered the formation of a judicial commission.
The one-member judicial commission, headed by Peshawar High Court Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, investigated the tragedy. The commission recorded statements from the martyrs’ parents, injured students, police personnel, security officials and other relevant individuals. Justice Ibrahim Khan’s commission report ran to nearly 525 pages and included statements from 132 people.
Shahana Bibi says that the report examined security lapses, the possible local facilitation of the terrorists, and other important aspects. It also noted that the terrorists managed to deceive security arrangements to reach the school premises — but the parents’ question remained unanswered nonetheless.
The journey through Supreme Court
Falak Naz, whose two sons, Saifullah Durrani and Noorullah Durrani, were lost in the Army Public School tragedy, said that in 2020 the Supreme Court ordered the government to make public the judicial commission’s report and its own position, and to provide the parents with a copy of the report. During the hearing, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed also raised the question of how, despite such tight security, the terrorists managed to reach the school, and why responsibility was being confined only to lower-ranking officials.
Falak Naz said that the real causes behind her sons’ martyrdom and those responsible for the security failure must be identified. According to her, if those responsible are not identified and held accountable, such tragedies could occur again. She further said that in 2024 as well, all the martyrs’ parents had demanded that the Supreme Court expedite the hearing of the case and take action on the judicial commission’s report. The parents also complained that they had not been fully satisfied regarding the report and the progress made on it.
The search for justice
Falak Naz, voicing her grievance against successive governments, said that time passed, governments changed, hearings continued in the courts, but the martyrs’ parents’ fundamental questions remained unanswered. But even now, in 2026, the matter has not been resolved. In May 2026, 77 parents of the martyred students of APS approached the Federal Constitutional Court, demanding implementation of the judicial commission’s report.
According to Advocate Ajoon Khan, martyr Isfandyar Khan’s father, following the establishment of the Federal Constitutional Court, the cases of the families affected by the APS tragedy were transferred from the Supreme Court to the benches of the Constitutional Court; however, with hearings not taking place in practice, the families continue to await justice.
Ajoon Khan says,”Our cases have now moved into the jurisdiction of the Federal Constitutional Court, but the real problem is that the cases are not being scheduled for hearing. More than eleven years have passed, and the victims are still waiting for justice today.”
The parents maintain that despite all these years since the tragedy, their fundamental questions remain unanswered and the commission’s recommendations have not been effectively implemented. For the parents of the Army Public School martyrs, justice does not simply mean financial compensation or the punishment of the attackers — their demand is that every aspect of the tragedy be brought to light, that those responsible for the security failure be identified, and that implementation of the judicial commission’s recommendations be ensured.
Who is responsible?
The Army Public School tragedy is counted among the worst terrorist attacks in Pakistan’s history. On this International Day in memory of the victims of terrorism, these parents maintain that mere expressions of solidarity are not enough. Identifying those responsible, ensuring accountability, and delivering justice — that alone will be a true tribute to the victims.