Victim of terrorism: PHC summons FATA officials over unpaid financial compensation

Additional secretary, finance secretary asked to appear at next hearing on Aug 28.

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday summoned additional secretary of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) along with secretary finance of the FATA Secretariat to explain why the victim of a terrorist attack in 2007 has not yet been compensated.

The officials have been directed to appear before court and explain why financial compensation was not paid to Haji Pukhtoon, whose vehicle full of household supplies was ambushed by militants in Parachinar, Kurram Agency.

The orders were issued by a division bench comprising Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain and Justice Ikramullah Khan after the petitioner informed the court the relevant officials had failed to pay him compensation money despite orders of PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan.

Representing the Parachinar political administration, Iqbal Durrani told the bench, “The secretariat wrote to the federal government on June 14 this year, informing the latter it does not have sufficient funds to reimburse the victim of that incident.”

However, the bench told Durrani documents produced before the court state the federal government had released a sum of Rs3.2 million to the FATA Secretariat in fiscal year 2011-12 for the said purpose, but the officials had still not paid the victim, which is in clear violation of the court’s orders.

Though Pukhtoon’s counsel Shah Faisal was not present at the hearing, the bench noted the officials at FATA Secretariat were responsible for contempt of court and ordered them to appear at the next hearing scheduled on August 28 to clarify their position.

Outside the courtroom, Pukhtoon told journalists that unidentified militants attacked his vehicle stocked with medicines, dry fruits and other commodities in Parachinar on April 6, 2007, following which they burnt the car down.

He added on January 31, 2013 the court directed the secretariat to release the compensation amount, but it is yet to do so.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2013.