PESHAWAR, April 24: Despite availability of funds, the government has yet to compensate Kurram Agency families whose members were either killed or seriously injured in militancy or military offensives over the years, it is learnt.

Statistics compiled by the Civil Secretariat of Fata show that 4,163 civilians have been killed and 5,346 seriously wounded in militancy and collateral damage in seven agencies and six Frontier Regions (FRs) of Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata) over the last five to six years.

According to officials, the government has paid financial compensation to the families of 2,894 people, who were killed in militancy, and 3,497 seriously injured.

However, families of 3,118 violence victims, including 1,849 seriously injured persons, have not been compensated so far.

Officials told Dawn on Tuesday that the Civil Secretariat of Fata had asked the federal government to release funds for payment to the violence victims’ legal heirs and wounded persons.

However, a parliamentarian from the area insists there’s no shortage of funds and that the militancy-affected families from Kurram Agency will be compensated.

MNA Munir Orakzai, parliamentary leader of his own group in the National Assembly, told Dawn that except Kurram Agency, heirs of the civilians, who were killed or wounded in violence or military operations in other parts of Fata, had received compensation.

When asked for delay in payment of compensation to the violence victims’ families in Kurram Agency, he said in first phase, people, whose houses and other properties were damaged in clashes, were being compensated, which families of the dead and the seriously injured would receive compensation in the next phase.

The government has worked out a formula under which families of the dead will get Rs300,000 each, while the seriously injured person will be paid Rs100,000. For the purpose, the federal government has set up a ‘revolving fund’ to which money is transferred from time to time.

Political authorities is authorised to approve cases for compensation related to their respective areas. Civilians killed and injured in collateral damage are paid a similar amount of money.

Officials said the government first compensated families of the deceased and injured in other conflict-hit areas of the country.

After payment of compensation to the families of the dead, the government agencies in collaboration with foreign donors carry out damages need assessment survey in the violence-affected areas and then people are compensated for damage to their houses and businesses.

However, the relevant authorities have altogether adopted different formula in Kurram, where compensation for damages of residential and commercial properties is paid before violence victims get compensation.

Mr Orakzai said the families of the dead and injured would be compensated later. He said after the 2011 peace deal in the area, the federal government had sanctioned Rs1.7 billion for Kurram Agency and the affected people would be paid from it. He added that the finance division had released funds to be paid to affected families.

“The government’s first priority is to compensate displaced people in upper and lower parts of Kurram,” he said.

According to official figures, Kurram Valley where clashes flared up in November 2007 topped the list where 1,344 people were killed and 1,942 seriously injured. However, local elders contradicted official figures.

According to reports, militancy claimed lives of 655 civilians in Bajaur Agency, 469 in Mohmand Agency, 449 in Khyber Agency, 71 in South Waziristan Agency, 424 in North Waziristan Agency, 237 in Orakzai Agency, three in FR Peshawar, 186 in FR Kohat, 62 in FR Tank, seven in FR Lakki, one in FR Dera Ismail Khan and four in FR Bannu.

The number of seriously injured people is 934 in Bajaur, 480 in Mohmand, 580 in Khyber, 704 in North Waziristan, 60 in South Waziristan and 221 in Orakzai, while 64 civil servants and 187 personnel of Levies and Khasaddar forces lost their lives in militancy-related incidents.