Discrepancy: Injured soldier received over Rs300k, say FC

QUETTA: Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan, clarifying an Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) report, has said that Lance Naik Niaz Bahadar Afridi received Rs347,624 in assistance from the IGFC fund from 2001 till date. This assistance, according to the FC Balochistan spokesperson, was besides Rs200,000 Afridi received as commuted pension and Rs16,000 per month he received as pension. In his interview with APP, Afridi said he received Rs100,000 from the IGFC fund. Afridi was employed in the Maiwand Rifles of FC Balochistan. He lost his eyes and legs in a landmine blast in Kohlu district on July 19, 2001. While talking to APP, Afridi had called on the governments of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to provide him a special finance package to fund his ailing wife’s treatment, and daughter’s education.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2014.