Najeebullah Mandokhel
On 8 August 2016 at Quetta Balochistan, a suicide attack on lawyers left many lawyers and civilians martyred and injured. PM Nawaz Sharif and then COAS General Raheel Sharif visited the injured at CMH Quetta the same day. Thereafter, PM instructed the authorities for evacuation of critical injured personnel to AGHA KHAN HOSPITAL KARACHI. COAS ensured availability of C-130 Aircraft for evacuation and 29 critical injured were shifted to Agha Khan Hospital Karachi on the evening 8 August 2016. Expenses of treatment of these injured persons at Agha Khan Hospital was very graciously promised and later paid by Sindh Government.
In the meantime Balochistan Government also announced compensation money of rupees 10 Million and 5 Million for dead and injured persons respectively. All positive gesture shown by Federal, Provincial governments and Pak Army were very much appreciated by all sphere of the society. These injured remained there for months and few are still at Agha Khan Hospital Karachi for necessary treatment.
So far so good. But then started the interesting game of nepotism and greed the human instincts which overshadow every value, each rule and all these have the capability to snatch all rights. There the questions arose that:
How to distribute the compensation money among Next of Kins of martyrs and injured? Who is next of kin of whom and who is critical or less injured. Who is the deciding authority that who is injured who isn’t? Who and how will the compensation money be distributed?
Balochistan Government stepped forward and took the responsibility and Balochistan Bar Association was declared the assistant organization to represent injured and deceased Lawyers.
But there the game began rather the saga of human interest and greed began.
But here the point of discussion is what would be the fate of the bereaved families of Shuhada and injured who has to face the irresponsible and corrupt politicians, senseless and bandit bureaucracy and above all the unjust Judiciary to receive the compensation claims.
And here the irony is also that everyone is behind the particularly to the bereaved irregularities and aberration in earlier announced compensation claims which have to be paid to the legal heirs of Shuhada and injured personnel of the same unfortunate incident.
Some lawyers who are either relatives or friends of prominent members of Balochistan Bar council, were either not present at the site of 8 August Quetta suicidal blast or had quite minor injuries but their names can be found in the category of most critical injured persons
Each one of above mentioned Balochistan Bar Council members have ensured inclusion of names of some of relatives, friends and associates in the list of critical injured just to get compensation money by hook or crook. It is very unfortunate but very much true that some lawyers who are either relatives or friends of heavily paid Justices or Some prominent members of Balochistan Bar council, were either not present at the site of 8 August Quetta suicidal blast or had quite minor injuries but their names can be found in the category of most critical injured persons. Whereas in the same list names of some lawyers who have amputed their limbs have been included in the lower most category. Which is very unfortunate, strange and usually not expected from judiciary but very much true.
There are three Categories of injured personnel;-
A Plus Category, injured personnel who will be paid Rs. 7,500,000
A Category, who will be paid Rs. 3,000,000
B Category, who will be paid Rs. 1,000,000
It is worth mentioning here that while announcing compensation for injured personnel initially, Balochistan Government never mentioned any categorization of injured. In order to give a legalized status to the bogus and fake compensation process particularly to the injured lawyers, Balochistan Bar Council with the assistance of civil bureaucracy of Balochistan verified the list of injured personnel through Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and furthermore, compensation will also be made through same DCOs. This step was taken just to smoothly mask the irregularities made in the garb of so called processing the compensation claims through civil bureaucracy and district governments. Whereas it is quite obvious and clear to everyone that Executive Government particularly in all Districts of Balochistan is wholly solely based on an Orthodox PATWARI style totally failed system. Who can verify a man as alive who may be dead hundred years ago and some example of such sort present of the district executive institutions of Balochistan.
It must be cleared that it is not at all objectionable if categorization is made on merit. Whereas, here neither Categorization of injured personnel for distribution of compensation claims has been made on merit, Nor it is based on reports of renowned medical specialists of Agha Khan Hospital Karachi where all the critical injured personnel were medicated and treated for months under intensive medical care. Moreover this point must be very clear to all that one must think I’m writing this article just on a biased views OR I’m advocating case of my injured Lawyer brother because he hasn’t been kept in the uppermost category of compensation claims. But it is matter of right and justice and I strongly believe that fight for right must be on with might until and unless one gets it.
Here are my recommendations which are brief, very crisp and clear:
1) First of all compensation amount must be paid to the true next of kins of Shuhadas without delay through a commission.
2) In order to decide the compensation amount required to be paid to injured personnel, a commissioned headed by Serving Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan be made and the commission must have at least one classified medical specialists from Agha Khan Hospital Karachi as one of the member along with representation from Balochistan Bar Council and if required from Balochistan Bureaucracy as well.
3) Commission should make recommendations for compensation claims to injured personnel keeping in view reports of CMH Quetta and all other hospital where injured personnel were treated particularly of Agha Khan Hospital Karachi.
4) In order to further streamline the process and keep it clear from any discrepancy, compensation amount be paid centrally preferably through a committee.
Here I want to draw the reader’s attention that I’m brother of Wali Advocate, one of the critical injured of Quetta Suicidal Blast. My injured brother Wali Advocate received at least 25 ballets in suicidal blast some of them are still carried by him inside his body.
Moreover the victim had multiple severe injuries and had to undergo 6 major and 3 minor surgeries at Agha Khan Hospital Karachi. He remained at Agha Khan Hospital Karachi for months, recently discharged and has further been asked to report every month for next three months for follow up check-ups.
Lastly, I must mention here that before writing this write up, My brother Wali Advocate walked up to members of Balochistan Bar Council, some Session Judges and few Justices of Balochistan High Court and after listening the views of my brother Wali Advocate and each one very much convinced that he is a deserving case and all of them also admitted that some discrepancies have definitely been made. But unluckily none has given any statement or taken solid and practical steps against irregularities.
I want to appeal to Prime Minister and Chief Justice of Pakistan, Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Chief Justice of Balochistan to step forward and take notice of the irregularities and aberrations made by this mafia.
Writer has completed M.Sc Anthropology from Quaid e Azam University Islamabad and currently studying M.Phil from Balochistan University.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are those of the author and Balochistan Voices not necessarily agrees with them.
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