Tides of misfortune: Retired FC jawan demands special financial package

Afridi retired after he lost vision and legs in an IED blast in 2001.

PESHAWAR:

A retired soldier of Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan, Niaz Bahadar Afridi, has pressed the government to provide him a special financial package to fund the treatment of his ailing wife and the education of his daughter.

Afridi lost his vision and legs in a powerful IED blast while on official duty in Kohlu district of Balochistan on July 19, 2001.

Hailing from Mehrban village in Tirah Valley, Khyber Agency, the 37-year-old FC soldier said he joined FC Maiwand Rifles on July 6, 1993 as a jawan. However, he was forced to retire after he lost both eyes and legs in an IED blast in Kahan village of Kohlu on July 19, 2001.

“I was treated at Combined Military Hospital Balochistan for two months and was subsequently referred to FC Hospital for further treatment,” he said.

After he was discharged from FC Hospital, Afridi was bedridden for two years. He received Rs200,000 upon retirement and Rs100,000 through the IG FC Fund. Now, he only receives a pension of Rs16,000 every month.

After a military offensive was launched in Khyber Agency, Afridi was forced to leave his home in Tirah Valley and now resides in a rented house in Karkhano market with his mother, daughter and wife. The family is facing severe financial problems and is finding it difficult to make ends meet, he said.

Afridi urged the governments of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to announce a special compensation package and ease his financial burden. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2014.