‘Don’t sell your Watan Cards!’

Administration takes serious note of reports that some Watan Card holders are selling the cards for Rs25-30,000.

RAHIM YAR KHAN: The Rahim Yar Khan district administration has taken serious notice of reports that some Watan Card holders were selling the cards for Rs25,000 to Rs 30,000.

“What these people don’t realise is that selling the card means they will forego all the other grants which the government will provide through these cards,” said executive district officer revenue Muhammad Nawaz Sahu.

The district administration has advised Watan Card holders to refrain from selling their cards to avoid future financial loss.

Focal person Watan Cards, district Rahim Yar Khan, EDO revenue Sahu told reporters on Friday that an amount of Rs80,000 would be transferred per family through these cards within a few months. He said that strict action should be taken against those involved in selling the cards. “These people will not be issued cards a second time so if they sell them, they forego the aid,” Sahu said.  He said that 10,000 Watan cards had been issued in the district against the target of 62,000 cards, adding that the target would be achieved by October  31.

Meanwhile, a local bank guard was accused of asking for a commission from Watan Card holders for helping them withdraw money from the bank. Flood victims in the area protested against the local authorities for making it extremely difficult for them to claim the aid money owed to them. An application for action against a bank guard was submitted by flood victims to a local bank chairman. According to eyewitnesses in Tehsil Rojhan Rajanpur, several people had gathered at the bank after having acquired Watan ATM Cards when a bank guard asked them to give him a commission for letting them access the ATM machine and teaching them how to use it.

Flood victims Mazari, Muhammad Ismail, Jado Mazari, Maula Bukhsh, Karim Bukhsh, Muhammad Ibrahim, Ghulam Muhammad, Abdul Karim and others fought with the guard and called in a relative who was familiar with using an ATM machine. Malik Shehryaar Khan reached the bank and the guard flared up when the flood victims refused to give him money.  The bank guard, Ashraf, stopped everyone from using the ATM machine and a brawl broke out outside the bank.

“None of us knew how to access the ATM machine and the guard offered his help if we each gave him a thousand rupees,” said Muhammad Ismail.

Flood victims told the bank manager that the guard blackmailed them and said that the bank administration refused to take action against the security guard. Later they sent an application to the chairman of the bank in Karachi via courier service.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2010.