PESHAWAR: The family of late Sardar Soran Singh, former special assistant to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, has complained about delay in disbursement of compensation and also said goodbye to Buner district for a safer place in Swat due to security concerns.

Mr Singh was Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA and special assistant to the CM on minorities’ affairs who was shot dead by unknown assailants outside his residence in Pir Baba locality of Buner district on April 22, 2016.

He was one of the energetic activists of PTI who played a significant role in strengthening of the party in his area and had close links with his top leadership.

Shaukat Yousufzai says package for the family to be approved by cabinet soon

A number of activists of different minority groups have started raising voice against delay in payment of compensation to the victim’s family and described it as an injustice with minorities.

Talking to Dawn, Ajay Singh, son of the slain Sikh community leader, complained that the financial package announced by the provincial government was not provided so far and his family had been facing serious financial problems.

The package, he said, included Rs10 million, one residential plot, provision of free education to Mr Singh’s children and proper security.

“I have recently passed matriculation examination by securing 944 marks from the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Swat, but am unable to get admission in Islamia College Peshawar because no one is there to recommend me,” he lamented.

Mr Ajay said that his father was a doctor and he did not have any other source of income. “We don’t have money even to buy medicines for my grandmother whose has got her leg fractured recently,” he said and added that he had only one sister, but her admission to a reputed educational institution was also an issue for him due to financial constraints.

He said that his family felt insecure in Pir Baba (Buner) and thus shifted to Mingora, Swat, to have support of his maternal uncle. “I have been trying to contact Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and other PTI leaders, but none of them bother to attend my phone call,” he complained and appealed to PTI chief Imran Khan to take notice of the problems being faced by Mr Singh’s family.

He said that provincial government had also delayed various pending bills of the late lawmaker which amounted to about Rs50,000 and also declined to approve fuel charges for the official car still in use of the family. “We cannot use the car due to lack of money for fuel,” he said.

When contacted, PTI’s provincial spokesman MPA Shaukat Yousufzai said that whatever had been announced by the government was already approved. “The CM has approved a summary and the amount would be paid whenever the provincial cabinet approves it during the next few days,” he said.

Mr Yousufzai said that compensation package was usually paid within a shortest possible time, but Soran Singh was a cabinet member and thus approval of the summary was a must from the provincial cabinet.

“The government has approved everything promised with the family. Free education of the children is the government’s responsibility and they should not worry about it.

They should wait till next meeting of the cabinet to be held probably on return of the CM from Karachi,” he said.

About security of the family, he said that police guards were still at the disposal of the family.

“Imran Khan held Mr Singh in high esteem for his attachment to PTI and the government is committed to support the family at all costs,” he said and added that his son should directly contact him in case of any problem.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2016