Long-term assistance: Gandapur was working on aid policy before assassination

Late law minister structured a policy to provide health, education benefits to children of victims of terrorism.

PESHAWAR:

Israrullah Gandapur was working on a policy to provide help to families hit by terrorism before he died in a suicide attack himself. After his death, the fate of the policy and thousands of people hangs in the balance.

It was nearly a week before his demise in DI Khan when the late law minister had structured a policy to give people affected by terrorism consistent financial support, an official at the Civil Secretariat told The Express Tribune. The policy was aimed at helping people whose loved ones were not part of law enforcement agencies and therefore ineligible for state support.

“It is now up to the incumbent government to do what they please with the policy the deceased minister considered vital in the current law and order situation,” said the official.



The policy, as Gandapur had visualised, would provide free education to the children of deceased victims of bomb blasts. In addition, the affected families would also get Rs0.5 million as financial aid.

Separate funds had to be allocated in the coming fiscal year for the said purpose.  People familiar with the matter said the policy includes free lifelong medical treatment for families of the deceased, while family members of injured victims would also get free education and health benefits. However, it was yet to be decided whether these benefits will be lifelong.

*FIGURES OBTAINED FROM THE SOUTH ASIA TERRORISM PORTAL

Gandapur was of the view the financial aid the government announces immediately after terrorist attacks cannot counter the immense burden families are put through after such tragedies, said an official at the law department of the Civil Secretariat. To counter this, Gandapur wanted to ensure affected families do not get encircled in poverty.

Since the minister was an essential member of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, it is likely his policy will be brought forward and implemented, the law department official added.



Compensation packages

According to the government’s finance department, a uniform compensation package was approved in 2010 for legal heirs of provincial police personnel and civil servants “who, while in service, were martyred due to acts of terrorism, as defined in Section 6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997”. Families of police personnel from BPS-5 to BPS-16 along with civil servants from BPS-1 to BPS-16 are eligible to receive compensation of Rs3 million in this package. Civil servants and families of officials of BPS-17 are given Rs5 million, BPS-18 to 19 Rs9 million and BPS-20 to 22 Rs10 million.

According to an official of the Civil Secretariat, Rs3 million is given to families of civilians who have been killed in terrorism-related incidents. Gandapur, however, thought this was not enough and wanted to increase the aid by Rs0.2 million. There is also no provision of free education or medical benefits in the current policy.

Provincial spokesperson Shah Farman was not available for comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2013.