Flood victims forced to sell Watan cards

Frustrated flood victims have resorted to selling their Watan cards to meet household expenses.

Flood victims have been forced to sell their government-issued Watan cards to run their households as ATM machines remain out of cash, they complain.

The Watan Cards scheme was launched in areas of South Punjab to provide financial assistance to flood victims. Major districts in this area are Rajanpur, Taunsa, Muzaffargarh, Laiyyah and Rohelan Wali.

Although each cash card provides Rs20,000 for one flood-affected household, the ATMs that dispense the cash, are either out of order or out of cash. Households are in desperate need of resources and have started selling the cash cards for Rs5,000 to 10,000.

'Holders should not sell their cards'

Tariq Malik, Deputy Chairman Nadra in a statement on Thursday said that Watan card holders should not sell their cards as subsequent installments of cash assistance will be made on the same card.

He urged that flood victims who lost or sold their cards by mistake should contact the relevant banks to block their lost or sold card and get the new one as replacement on their CNIC.

He warned people against exploiting the vulnerability of flood victims with meager offers against their cards as severe actions will be taken against them. He said that stealing or taking possession of someone else's card is an identity fraud and such culprits will be handed over to law enforcement agencies.

Trouble since launch

The Watan Card scheme has come across many problems since it was launched. The non-availability of Watan cards in many areas has led to protests by flood victims. Riots erupted in many Nadra centres as people attempted to collect their Watan cards and found that their names were not on the list due to mismanagement.

Reports had come earlier that flood victims in Rahim Yar Khan had been selling their Watan cards leading to strict notice being taken by the district administration. Officials have claimed that blocked cards are not their fault and this happens because card holders do not know how to use the cards. The cards get blocked after three unsuccessful attempts.