"There are no holy cows in Pakistan, I believe in rule of law," said Prime Minister Imran Khan to a Supreme Court bench headed by the chief justice Wednesday. 

The prime minister had appeared before the Supreme Court after he was summoned earlier today by the apex court to attend a hearing of the Army Public School (APS) massacre case.

When the prime minister appeared at the rostrum, Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan said the parents of the martyred children are demanding action against the rulers of the time when the APS massacre took place. 

In response, the prime minister said when the massacre took place, his party was in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The prime minister said he had met the bereaved parents in hospitals when the terrorist incident took place but since they were struck by tragedy, it wasn't possible to speak to them properly. 

The chief justice told the prime minister that the parents of the APS victims were not seeking compensation from the government. "Parents are asking where was the security system [that day]? Despite our comprehensive orders, nothing was done."

The prime minister told the chief justice that a National Action Plan was introduced after the APS massacre, adding that there is "no holy cow" in Pakistan.

"We won a war against terrorism," he said. "There were bomb blasts taking place at the time every single day."

The Supreme Court bench said the government should listen to the parents of the APS schoolchildren and take action against the culprits. "The government should take action against those involved in the Army Public School massacre," said the Supreme Court. 

The prime minister assured that the government will fulfil the requirements of justice. The apex court, in turn, directed the prime minister to ensure implementation on its October 20 verdict. 

"You are the prime minister, you should have answers," remarked the chief justice during the hearing. 

"Hold on for a minute, judge sahab," the prime minister responded. "Allah will give patience to the parents of the schoolchildren, what more could the government have done apart from giving compensation?"