PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday directed the secretaries of the finance and relief departments to provide compensation (Shuhada Package) within a week to the legal heirs of eight people, who were killed in a bomb blast in Kurram tribal district in 2018.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid and Justice Shakeel Ahmad regretted that legal heirs of the blast victims had been pushed from pillar to post to claim compensation due to the apathy of the relevant government authorities.

It was hearing a contempt petition filed by a close relative of the one of the deceased, Gul Nawaz Khan, saying despite an earlier order of the court for provision of the Shuhada Package compensation to him and others concerned, the administration had been using delaying tactics and not enforcing the court’s order.

Eight people were killed in 2018 Kurram explosion

Advocate Amin Khattak Lachi represented the petitioner, whereas Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advocate general Shumail Ahmad Butt and additional advocate general Syed Sikandar Hayat Shah appeared for the provincial government.

The bench had taken up the petition for hearing on Tuesday and summoned the secretaries of the finance and relief departments on Wednesday.

It observed that if those officers had been doing their job properly, the people would not have moved the courts and the courts would have not summoned them for action on such issues.

The bench added that for the last three years, the petitioner and other family members had suffer and make efforts for getting due rights.

The petitioner said eight of his family members, including women, had died when an improvised explosive device went off near their vehicle near Afghan border in Kurram tribal district (erstwhile Kurram Agency) in Jan 2018.

He added that after the failure of the administration to offer Shuhada Package to the family, he had filed a petition with the high court for the payment of compensation, which was accepted and the government was ordered to make the due payment them. The petitioner, however, said as the government continued to delay the payment, he had filed the contempt petition in 2019 for action.

He said that the relevant deputy commissioner had claimed that he had the required funds, but he needed the approval of the provincial government for their release to the family.

The finance secretary told the court that his department didn’t directly release compensation amount to the blast victims’ families.

He added that if the required summary was moved by the relief department, he would ensure the provision of funds for the purpose forthwith.

The relief secretary also assured the court that he would prepare the summary for the purpose and refer it to the finance department today (Wednesday).

The AG said that he had held a detailed discussion with the secretaries of the relevant departments on the matter and that the relevant summary would be moved on Wednesday.

He requested the bench for the grant of a week’s time for the release of compensation amount to the legal heirs of the bomb blast victims.

The bench told the secretaries that had they been keeping an eye on the work of their subordinates, the common people would have not suffered and approached the court for relief.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2021