APS attack was the result of a massive security failure, claims inquiry report

The terrorist attack on the Army Public School (APS) was due to massive security failure, a judicial report on the attack said on Friday.

The report has been prepared by Peshawar High Court's Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan. Though the report comprises around 3,000 pages, only 27 pages have been made public.

Before the attack, the report said, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) had informed different provincial and federal authorities that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had made a plan to carry out terrorist activities against APS and other educational institutions run by Pakistan Army.

NACTA had also warned that the terrorists planned to kill the maximum number of children of army officers to avenge the killings of their accomplices, the report said.

The report also raised questions regarding the school's security measurement. It stated that all security was focused on the main gate while there was no security at the back of the school.

Due to this, the terrorists entered through the back gate without any resistance, the report added.

Earlier, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmad took up the suo motu hearing today. The CJP directed Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan to ensure that the report is made public.

During the hearing, the chief justice appointed Supreme Court Bar Association President Amanullah Kanrani amicus curiae. The chief justice has also accepted the martyrs’ parents' invitation to tour APS Peshawar.

The hearing has been adjourned for one month.

The CJP had taken suo motu notice after parents of the martyred children complained that the real culprits involved in the incident had not yet been arrested by the authorities.

In July, a judicial commission formed on the SC's orders and headed by Peshawar High Court's Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan submitted its report to the SC. The report comprising around 3,000 pages, carried statements of different people.

The report included the statements of 132 people, out of which 31 were police and army officials/ Whereas, the rest were witnesses, including injured students and parents of the martyred children.

On December 16, 2014, about 144 people, including 138 APS students, were shot dead by terrorists after they stormed into the school. In 2015, four terrorists involved in the attack were hanged at a civil jail in Kohat.