PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will establish an endowment fund with the initial capital of Rs200 million for the rehabilitation of non-Muslim victims of terrorism in the province.

The provincial assembly on Friday passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rehabilitation of Minorities (Victims of Terrorism) Endowment Fund Bill, 2020, with four amendments for the purpose.

Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani chaired the sitting, which was later adjourned for an indefinite period.

Besides Muslim majority, the members of religious minorities, especially Christians and Sikhs, were also targeted by terrorists in the province.

Opposition members complain about slow work on uplift projects, diversion of funds

Ninety Christians were killed and 144 suffered injuries as the two suicide blasts ripped through the main prayer hall of All Saints Church in Peshawar in Sept 2013. Another terrorist attack killed many Christians in a colony on Warsak Road in Peshawar.

Similarly, the targeted killing of Sikhs has been reported in Peshawar, members of Kalash tribe in Chitral district and non-Muslims in other areas of the province.

Special assistant to the chief minister on minority affairs Wazirzada moved a resolution in the assembly seeking for the bill’s passage.

A member of Kalash community, he proposed four amendments, which were made part of the bill.

The chief minister’s aide told Dawn that the government would accord top priority to the rehabilitation of the families of those, who lost life in the All Saints Church bombing.

He said six victims of the bomb blast had been living with permanent physical disability since then.

Mr Wazirzada said families of the targeted killing victims would also be included in rehabilitation plan.

The new law says soon after the enactment of the law, the government would set up the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Endowment Fund to rehabilitate, develop and compensate the victims of terrorist attacks.

The proposed fund could also be credited with grants from the federal government, philanthropists, nongovernmental organisations, other organisations working for the welfare of religious minorities, and other lawful sources.

The government will constitute the Endowment Fund Assessment Committee for carrying out the purpose of the law.

The minister, adviser or special assistant to the chief minister for minorities will act as the convener of the seven-member committee, which will receive and scrutinise applications, ascertain entitlement, verify family members of the terror victims, and approve the specified amount for the purpose of technical support, relief, welfare, compensation or rehabilitation of the people hit by terrorists, or their families.

The unavailability of medical oxygen in the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, Mansehra, also echoed in the assembly with the lawmakers urging the government to take corrective measures without delay.

On a point of order, MPA Humaira Khatoon said Kath didn’t have oxygen supply, so the intensive care unit referred patients to the Abbottabad Medical Complex.

She said the hospital’s management had acknowledged unavailability of oxygen and said a project for the purpose was in the pipeline.

The lawmaker said the Mansehra hospital had yet not got any ventilators and therefore, the government should take immediate steps to prevent mishap.

The Saudi government had provided a grant to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital after an earthquake hit Hazara and Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Oct 2005 killing thousands of people and damaging buildings, including Kath’s.

Later, a modern hospital was built with the help of the Saudi government.

PTI MPA from Mansehra district Babar Saleem Swati said the Saudi government would provide Rs720 million for the provision of equipment to the hospital and a contract was awarded to a Turkish company for the purpose.

He said the ICU unit would become functional within a month.

The opposition members expressed reservations about slow work on development schemes and diversion of development funds, especially that of roads in North and South Waziristan tribal districts.

They said the relevant department had revealed the non-release of funds for certain reasons.

A lawmaker said funds for the construction of two roads were diverted to beautification schemes in North Waziristan.

He said on one hand, the government had begun allocating over Rs100 billion for development schemes in the merged tribal districts but on the other, Rs180 million was not available for a small road.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2020