On Wednesday, appearing before the country's supreme court in connection with the 2014 Peshawar school massacre, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan promised to take firm action against culprits, even if they are high-ranked officials.
"The PM said before the court that there is no sacred cow in the country, and he believes in the rule of law …The government will take action as ordered by the court," Fawad Hussain Chaudhry, the country's federal minister, said after the court adjourned the case for four weeks.
Khan also told the court about the deteriorating security situation with regard to the Taliban* takeover of Kabul.
The prime minister said that his government formed a coordination committee involving intelligence and army officials as Daesh** terrorists crossed over the border from Afghanistan with 250,000 people after the Taliban took control of Kabul in August this year.
Local media reported that the court directed the prime minister to ensure implementation of its 20 October verdict relating to the 2014 massacre in which Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants killed 147 people, mostly children.
"We have already formed a commission, and it has issued a report as well. Our order of 20 October states clearly that the government should find out who is responsible for the massacre and take action against them," Gulzar Ahmed, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, said during the hearing.
The three-judge bench also expressed dissatisfaction over the reports of ongoing negotiation with the banned group TTP.
Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed told the prime minister that he had now brought the culprits of the massacre to the negotiating table. "Are we about to sign a surrender document once again?" he asked.
On Tuesday, a cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister resolved to give a chance to those factions of the TTP that are not directly involved in terrorism.
*The organisation is under UN sanctions over terrorist activities.
** Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries