QUETTA: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday bound the Balochistan government to pay compensation in three days to affectees of attack at Bethel Memorial Methodist Church, Quetta.
The federal and provincial governments had announced monetary compensation for the victims of the attack after at least nine people and 30 others were injured in a suicide attack on the church in December 2017, however, the money still has not been paid yet.
Following the reports of non-payment of money, the Supreme Court (SC) had asked taken a suo motu notice last week.
At the hearing on Friday, a two-member bench of the SC directed the District Compensation Committee to release payments “to the entitled persons within three days”.
CJP Nisar was told that legal heirs of the victims had not submitted their succession certificates. He then directed the Quetta deputy commissioner to immediately transfer the undistributed funds to the account of the Quetta sessions judge and set a one-month deadline to the determine the deceased’s legal heirs.
Expressing dismay at the delay in disbursement of funds, CJP Nisar noted that committee members Quetta Additional District Commissioner Naseebullah Kakar,, Assistant Commissioner Babraq Khan, Police Surgeon Ali Mardan and SSP Investigation Jawwad Ahmed were “not able to offer any plausible reason for the delay”.
The committee members were also issued noticed where they were asked to explain why a case of misconduct should not be filed against them and why they should not be held liable to pay markup to the people for the period they deprived them of money.
Justice Nisar also observed that the Council of Islamic Ideology’s (CII) decision to refer to the members of the Christian community as “Masihi” instead of “Esai” has not been implemented by the government.
“Let the recommendations of the CII be implemented in letter and spirit and arrangement should be made in all official records, documents and correspondence,” he ordered.