SIALKOT-The grieved families of three persons martyred and 16 others injured in Indian shelling have been waiting for financial compensation for the last two and half years in Sialkot border villages.
The grieved families have expressed grave concern over the official apathy and said that they had been made rolling stones between the offices of the Sialkot district administration for the last two and half years.
On August 04, 2015, the Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) had targeted the civilian population during its unprovoked mortar shelling on Sialkot border villages in Phookaliyaan-Bajwat Sector, killing three persons including two real brothers and injuring seriously sixteen other persons.
Adnan Akhtar son of Muhammad Din in village Kachhi Maand-Bajwat and two real brothers Asif and Faisal Mehmood sons of Muhammad Akram of village Sukhiyaal-Phookaliyaan-Bajwat were killed by the heavy mortar shells fired by the Indian BSF. The grieved families said that the Punjab government had announced Rs0.5 million financial compensation for the families of martyrs and Rs75,000 each for the injured.
A villager Akram who lost his two young sons Asif and Faisal Mehmood in the shelling said that his family was still waiting for the financial compensation announced and promised by the Punjab government.
He said that his daughter Iqra Bibi and other son Muhammad Qaisar were also injured in the unprovoked shelling. "No one has yet provided us even a single penny as financial compensation despite the passage of two and half years, as we had repeatedly completed the official process required by the Punjab government," he added.
Akram, however, said the government gave medical treatment to his injured son and daughter at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH). They said it was their right as they had lost its two young sons in the Indian shelling.
"The Punjab government and Sialkot district administration have been testing our patience despite high promises of providing them with the early financial compensation," he said.
He said his sons were martyred when heavy mortar shells had badly hit the Government Primary School in village Sukhiyaal-Phookaliyaan-Bajwat, killing them on the spot.
He said that her daughter Iqra Bibi was also discharged from the Sialkot CMH after her two-month long medical treatment. He said that some splinters of the Indian shells were still lying in her belly due to which she had been suffering severe pain but the poor family had no money for her medical treatment. She is now unable to even walk, he said.
Union Council Kachhi Maand Chairman Ch Azam said that the poor family had knocked almost all the doors for getting financial compensation but to no avail.
He said that being UC chairman he had also raised the nasty issue in the recently held session of Sialkot District Council, seeking the council's help to use its influence for ensuring early provision of financial compensations to the grieved families.
When contacted, ADCG Sialkot Meesam Abbas said by telephone that no such cases were in his knowledge and no such case of financial compensation was lying pending the Sialkot district administration offices.
On the other hand, MNA Ch Armughan Subhani said by telephone that it was true that the grieved families had been waiting for financial compensation from both the Punjab and Federal Governments.
The MNA said that he had repeatedly brought the matter into the notice of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif but these families still remain unable to get financial compensation.
Subhani said that the main reason behind the inordinate delay was non-coordination between the provincial and federal departments.
The families protested against the official apathy and stepmotherly treatment by the district administration of Sialkot and the federal and Punjab governments in this regard.
They urged Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbas and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif to look into the matter and ensure early provision of the financial compensation to them.