Senate Standing Committee on Interior proposed on Thursday that the Frontier Constabulary (FC) should be provided appropriate funding to ensure modern equipment and gadgets for its personnel and to make it a target-oriented and viable organisation. Commandant FC, Abdul Majeed Khan said, “The Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force responsible for maintaining law and order, had been facing a shortage of staff, arms, ammunition and other necessary equipment required to combat terrorism.” The meeting chaired by Senator Talha Mahmood was attended by Senators Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Mukhtiar Ahmed Dhamrah, Najma Hameed, Sardar Ali Khan, Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hassani, Secretary Interior Khawaja Muhammad Siddique Akbar, Additional Secretary Interior and other representatives of the Ministry and FC.
Majeed informed the meeting about the mission, role, present deployment and performance of FC and also highlighted its efforts for maintaining the law and order situation in different areas of the country. He said that during operations against terrorists, different posts and pickets of FC had been damaged and for their rehabilitation, a mega project of Rs 2.97 bn had been launched but the organisation was still waiting for the funds. Around Rs 115 mn had been released, he added.
The meeting was informed about the recompense given to martyrs of FC, who had embraced martyrdom while performing duties in the war against terror. Currently, one million rupees were being given to the family of an FC staff member in case of martyrdom, while other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in other provinces provided Rs 2-3 mn as well as other benefits. Mashhadi, Dhamrah and other members spoke in favour of bringing FC’s ‘Shuhda Package’ at par with other LEAs’. Secretary Interior said that his ministry had already requested the Ministry of Finance for Rs 4 bn to execute FC projects, but were still waiting for its release.
He assured the Committee that he would send a summary to the Finance Division, in a day or two, to enhance the ‘Shuhda Package’ for FC. Mahmood said that he would convene a meeting, inviting both ministers for Interior and Finance as well as the Chairman Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) to discuss the issue of shortage of funds and to take decisions in that regard.
