PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday disposed of a contempt of court petition against the Frontier Constabulary commandant and the Safron and interior secretaries over payment of low compensation to the families of seven FC personnel, who were killed in acts of terrorism.

The disposal came after the representatives of the FC informed a bench that the prime minister had approved the payment of Rs3 million compensation each to legal heirs of the slain FC personnel under the Shuhada Package.

FC lawyer Umar Zafran and PSO III Mohammad Afzal told Justice Ikramullah Khan and Justice Musarrat Hilali that the payment was equivalent to what was paid to the policemen, who died in acts of terrorism.

They produced the Aug 6 notification sent to the interior ministry by the PM Secretariat for the purpose.

Families of slain personnel to be compensated under Shuhada Package, FC lawyer tells court

The petition was filed by Nusrat Bibi, whose son was an FC solider, who was killed in a bomb blast outside the FC Headquarters in Shabqadar on May 13, 2011.

Similarly, five other personnel whose cases are pending with the high court were killed in that occurrence, whereas the seventh solider were killed in an operation against militants on the outskirts of Peshawar in 2011.

The legal heirs of the seven slain personnel were paid compensation to the tune of Rs500,000 each as that was the rate fixed at that time.

However, the legal heirs, including Nusrat Bibi, moved the high court and requested that they be paid compensation equivalent to what was paid to personnel of other law-enforcement agencies, including the police.

The high court in different cases had then ordered that payment of compensation be made to the petitioners under the Shuhada Package in place for the personnel of other law-enforcement forces.

And since that order wasn’t followed, Nusrat Bibi and others filed contempt of court petitions against the FC commandant and the Safron and interior secretaries.

On Thursday, the petition of Nusrat Bibi was fixed when the FC lawyer produced the said notification and assured that they would be paid Rs3 million compensation in the next few days.

Hashim Khan and Imad Anjum Durrani, lawyers for the petitioner, did not press for their point thereafter.

Meanwhile, the bench issued notices to the political agents of Bajaur and Mohmand agencies in several other writ petitions.

The petitions were filed by legal heirs of 31 slain personnel of khasadar force, who had not been given plots and paid amount on account of group insurance in accordance with Shuhada Package.

The bench directed the political agents to ensure that the payment be made to the petitioners under the Shuhada Package within a month.

Ziaur Rehman, lawyer for petitioners, said 31 personnel of khasadar force were killed in different incidents of terrorism in Mohmand and Bajaur agencies.

He said while legal heirs of the slain personnel was paid compensation of Rs3 million each, the authorities withheld Rs200,000 group insurance and didn’t give a plot to them each.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2014