Violations along LoC: Rs three billion allocated under PSDP for rehabilitation of affected families

The federal government has decided to compensate the affectees of Indian ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) and allocated Rs 3 billion in Public Sector Development Programme [PSDP] for rehabilitation of the affected families.

This was stated by Secretary Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Tariq Pasha while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan.

He said that a special LoC rehabilitation project worth Rs 3 billion has been included in the PSDP, while the grant through Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) has been recommended by its board and the summary of which will be presented before the next meeting of the federal cabinet.

He said all the women member of the families residing along the LoC will benefit from the BISP while a summary has also been initiated by the ministry through which the Prime Minister has been requested to direct Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination to extend the facility of Sehat Sahulat Card to all the vulnerable families residing along the LoC.

Responding to queries of the committee members, Pasha said the government cannot forcefully shift the vulnerable families away from the LoC who are frequently coming under the unprovoked shelling by Indian troops.

In some cases, he continued, there are families residing ahead of the security border posts who are reluctant to evacuate their properties and homes due to their commitment to Kashmir cause. While on the other side of the border, he said that the Indian side has evacuated and shifted the families 10 kilometres away from the LoC, the secretary added.

In connection with International Human Rights Day, the committee adopted a unanimous resolution strongly condemning the worst human rights violations in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the continued lockdown of eight million Kashmiri population.

The committee also called upon the global human rights organizations and world powers to play their key role to stop Indian government from the grave human rights abuses in the occupied valley.

Briefing the committee on the devastation caused by the recent earthquake in Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the committee was informed by officials of the ministry that it requires Rs 8980.781 million for the rehabilitation of the affectees.

It was informed that a total of 40 people died as a result of the recent earthquake in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, 180 received grievous injuries while the earthquake also left 2,098 houses completely damaged and 8,854 houses partially damaged.

The committee was further told that the government has decided to pay Rs 1,000,000 per casualty as compensation amount, Rs 800,000 to per disability, while owners of completely damaged house would get Rs 500,000 and those whose houses were partially damaged would receive Rs 200,000.

Through another resolution passed unanimously, the committee also strongly condemned the incident of desecration of the Holy Quran in Norway and urged the Norwegian government to take stern action against the perpetrators.

Earlier, the committee chairman Shamim Ahmad Khan, who chaired the meeting, referred to the grave situation in the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the world is marking the global human rights day while around eight million Kashmiri population is under worst rights abuses. He said that it is unfortunate that world powers are also acting like silent spectators.