KARACHI – The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the interior secretary and the Sindh home secretary on Tuesday on a constitutional petition about providing compensation to the heirs of targeted killing victims in the city.
A division bench headed by the SHC chief justice was hearing a petition filed by Iqbal Kazmi seeking provision of compensation to the heirs of the people killed in the recent incidents of targeted killings equal to that which is being provided to the heirs of those killed in bomb blasts across the country.
The court adjourned the hearing after hearing the preliminary arguments from the petitioner for a date to be fixed later.
The petitioner submitted that a number of people have lost their lives in ongoing spate of targeted killings, but the government has not taken any initiative so far to provide compensate the victims’ families.
The federal and provincial governments have announced compensation for the heirs of those who lost their lives in suicide attacks or other bomb blasts across the country, but the relatives of targeted killing victims have never been considered by government authorities.
Mentioning the constitution, the plaintiff stated that Article 25 ensures provision of compensation to the heirs of the deceased, who were killed in terrorist attacks in the country, but the government has been violating it.
The Interior Ministry and Sindh Home Ministry were cited as respondents in the petition.
The petitioner pleaded that the court should issue orders to both the federal and provincial government to compensate those whose loved ones were killed in targeted killings.
