Room for proofing: Names in head money list replicated

PESHAWAR:

The finance department sent back a list of alleged high-profile militants to the home department after it found several names had been repeated. The list had been prepared by the police to get bounties approved after which it was forwarded by the home department to the chief minister.

A list of around 320 high-profile militants, prepared by the provincial police department and the counterterrorism department, was sent to the chief minister so bounty could be approved, officials told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

When the list finally reached the finance department, they refused to approve the amount calculated – over Rs1.5 billion – after it discovered a number of names had been mentioned twice. The number of repeated names, however, has not been disclosed.

The list has been sent back to the home department with observations.

“The home department can only communicate. We received the list and forwarded it to the chief minister,” claimed a senior K-P official, requesting anonymity. In addition to the police department’s miscalculation, the chief minister also failed to point out the duplication, added the official. The home department later told the police to remove the repetition and send another list.

A total of six lists have been prepared so far with names of different high-profile militants in each. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2014.