17 October 2004	Sunday	02 Ramazan 1425

MULTAN, Oct 16: Legal heirs of a car bomb blast victims and the injured received compensation cheques from the Punjab government here at Circuit House on Saturday.

Federal Agriculture Minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan, provincial Literacy Minister Syed Hussain Jehanian Gardezi and District Nazim Pir Riaz Hussain Qureshi distributed cheques amounting to Rs13.4 million among the victims' relatives and the injured. Relatives of 39 victims got Rs250,000 each while the 73 injured received Rs50,000 each.

The 40th victim, Aurangzeb, who was included in the list as injured earlier when it was sent to the Punjab government for approval, died later at the hospital. His heirs would also get the compensation of Rs250,000, DCO Muhammad Ijaz Chaudhry told APP.

The government had announced Rs500,000 financial assistance - Rs250,000 from the federal government while an equal amount from the Punjab government for the family of each deceased. Half of this compensation was paid by Syed Hussain Jehanian Gardezi while representing the Punjab chief minister. The injured were also given Rs50,000 cheque each from the provincial government.

The federal government would also fulfil its promise soon, declared federal minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan while speaking on the occasion.-APP