Parents of the students martyred in Peshawar’s 2014 Army Public School attack took to the streets on Friday and held a protest rally.
In the deadliest terror attack in the country’s history, nearly 150 people were killed, most of them schoolchildren, when heavily armed militants stormed into the army-run school.
On the eighth anniversary of the carnage today, parents of the students martyred in the attack — who had gathered at the school for an event — blocked the Khyber Road for traffic.
They commenced the protest march from the APS and walked to Warsak Road. However, when they reached the main Warsak Road Chowk, the demonstrators were stopped by the police.
“We are peaceful and want to present our demands and grievances to the concerned high-ups,” Muhammad Tahir Khan, father of a martyred student and one of the protesters, told Dawn.com.
“We have been waiting for justice for the past eight years. But it is unfortunate that no one has been able to do anything for us.”
He said that they had been demanding a public holiday on December 16. “But despite repeated promises, our demands were not met.”
Tahir claimed that the police forcibly stopped them and allegedly misbehaved with another protester, whose son was killed in the attack.
He further complained that no one from the government and concerned higher-ups attended the APS event.
Later, officials of the district administration reached the spot and began talks with the protesters.
