Free education, medicals for officers’ families

KARACHI: Families of Pakistan Army officers who have lost their lives in the fight against terrorism in Sindh will be provided financial and medical aid, decided the provincial government. The children of these soldiers will be given free education as well.

The services and general administration department has sent the plan’s proposal and summary to Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah for approval. The decision was taken after the government received a request for such a project from the army’s 18th division, Hyderabad headquarters. The division officers had asked that these families should get financial help, a special quota for employment in government departments, residential plots in public housing schemes, reserved seats in educational institutes and medical facilities among other benefits.

Sindh chief secretary Fazlur Rehman instructed the services department to send a summary to the chief minister. The summary recommends giving Rs100,000 as financial aid, free education for the children and free medical facilities for the rest of the family.

District coordination officers across the province have been instructed to find out the number of families of soldiers who lost their lives in terrorist attacks. After the details of these families have been collected, they will be given financial help and other aid.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2010.