HYDERABAD, Oct 25: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday gave 15 days to government officials to comply with its order to pay compensation to Ms. Sahibzadi Babar, widow of Dhani Bux Babar, who was killed in a fake encounter in Tando Bahawal in 1992.

The division bench comprising Mr. Justice Maqbool Baqar and Mrs Justice Yasmin Abbasey passed the order on Ms. Sahibzadi’s petition warning that chief secretary and secretaries of finance and home department would appear in the court on Nov 15 if they failed again to comply.

The court observed in its order that “it is highly regrettable that despite clear order and repeated directions by this court, compensation has not been paid to the petitioner, who is a widow of the deceased, who was amongst affectees of unfortunate incident of Tando Bahawal”.

The court said: “Conduct of the officers involved shows their utter callousness.”

Earlier on Sept 29 the court had asked the secretary to Sindh chief minister to expedite payment of compensation to Ms Sahibzadi and directed court officials to send a copy to the secretary to the chief minister.

The court had observed that her case required special attention as her husband was among the innocent people who were brutally murdered by an army officer in a fake encounter in 1992.

Ms Sahibzadi who is appearing in person in court has cited member of the Board of Revenue, DCO Hyderabad, EDO revenue Hyderabad and relief commissioner as respondents.

Ms Sahibzadi said that her life had been shattered in 1992 when an army major gunned down her husband and nine others and the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif had publicly declared that army had killed 10 agents of RAW.

She said that the government compensated the victims’ families. She, too, received 24 acres in Deh Dooheen, Jati taluka, Thatta but it was barren and undeveloped with no supply of water.

Ms Sahibzadi said she was forced to leave her house and cattle to live in misery and poverty in Dadu and them move Hyderabad with her six children.

She said that Mai Jindo who was also allotted 72 acres of land in the same Jati taluka succeeded in returning the land to Board of Revenue (BoR) on CM’s orders and received Rs5 million in cash as compensation.

She, too, requested senior member of BoR, DCO, EDO of revenue, relief commissioner and other officials of Hyderabad again and again that her case should also treated like Mai Jindo’s but the board and other officials of Hyderabad administration did not respond.