K-P business community concerned over compensation delays

Trade body chief says advisor to CM on merged districts turned down request to meet CM

PESHAWAR: Businessmen from the militancy-hit North Waziristan (NW) tribal district on Sunday expressed concerns over delayed compensation for the losses they suffered during the military operations.

This was expressed by the NW Anjuman-e-Tajiraan — Mir Ali President Zaheer Ullah while addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Sunday.

He said that the local trading community had incurred massive financial losses during the military operations which started in June 2014. He added that more than 3,706 shops had been damaged while a loss of over Rs8.63 billion had been caused to traders.

He added that after they were not compensated, they had launched a massive protest campaign and even staged a ‘sit-in’ for five days in the federal capital. The protest, he reminded, only ended after the federal government assured that not only will their genuine demands be accepted but will also be fulfilled.

Zaheer further said that they had also shared data with the government about the loss they had suffered around eight months ago. However, the government and the relevant institutions were using delaying tactics on announcing a compensation package for them.

He added that data on the damage caused to business was cleared and forwarded to the K-P chief minister.

The trade body chief said that they wanted to meet with the K-P chief minister but Advisor to CM on Merged Districts Ajmal Wazir allegedly turned down the request by stating that their case relates to the federal government.

He urged the PM Imran Khan, Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to consider fulfilling the long-standing promises made to them and take concerted steps to compensate the traders of Mir Ali.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2019.