ISLAMABAD: Being told that there was no consolidated data available to determine the exact number of the victims of the war against terrorism did not sit well with the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior, which gave the government two months to compile accurate figures.

In its directions to the Ministry of Interior on Tuesday, the committee said the government should provide a complete picture of the number of victims of the war against terrorism by April 2017.

Chaired by Rana Shamim Ahmad Khan, the committee decided that the data would be sent to the National Assembly, along with recommendations for the welfare of those affected.

The chairman suggested that all provinces should be consulted in the data collection process. This should include information about the affected person’s family and number of dependents, as well as information on security forces personnel who lost their lives or were crippled.

The matter came under discussion when Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Ghalib Khan moved a resolution appreciating the sacrifices of the armed forces and in support of all actions carried out against terrorists, which was unanimously passed.

The committee members also endorsed the decisions taken by the political and military leadership pertaining to the country’s defence.

Another PML-N MNA, Syed Iftikharul Hassan, told Dawn it was unfortunate that the families of those who had laid down their lives in the service of their country had been made to suffer after the deaths of their loved ones.

“It is the state’s responsibility to provide them with all basic facilities. Thousands of people have been killed due to terrorist attacks and their families are suffering. After obtaining the data, the committee will play its role in providing compensation to the families of the martyrs,” he said.

“Jobs can be provided to family members of martyrs, or those who have been left disabled due to a terrorist attack, so that they would also live with honour and dignity,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday passed a resolution condemning the “notorious role [of the Afghan] government in terrorism inside Pakistan”.

The resolution was moved by Committee Chairman Rehman Malik and condemned Kabul’s criminal support to terrorists of the Jamaatul Ahrar, which operated from its soil against Pakistan and was behind recent attacks in the country.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2017