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| Rioting after Benazir’s murder: compensation still undecided |
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Wednesday, January 23, 2008
By Tariq Butt
ISLAMABAD: Authorities have yet to stipulate the criterion to determine compensation for those whose properties were damaged or burnt down in the rioting in the wake of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
"After receiving the claims, the government will lay down the criterion for compensation," Mohammad Azam, Director General of the Relief and Crisis Management Department (RCMD), Punjab Chapter, told The News.
January 22 was the last date to file the claims for compensation with the district coordination officers (DCOs) on prescribed forms.
Azam said he had no idea about the precise extent of damage to properties during the violent outburst.
Within a few days after the closing date, he said, the DCOs will submit the claims they have received to the RCMD for processing.
Azam said the government would keep the available resources in mind when the amount of compensation to the affected people was determined. He said a process of verification would be launched after receiving the claims.
The RCMD had sought claims from the citizens affected during the Dec 27-31 mayhem. The rioting was much less in the Punjab as compared to Sindh.
Ms Bhutto's slaying had sparked spontaneous public reaction.
However, the pro-President Pervez Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) has repeatedly charged that public and private properties were deliberately damaged or destroyed in an organised manner on the direction of certain top leaders of the PML-Nawaz and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
While no exact volume of the damage is available, it is estimated to run into billions of rupees. According to one report, it was Rs 100 billion, the bulk of the destruction caused in Sindh. Some circles have found this estimate too bloated.
The worst-hit was the interior of Sindh, the stronghold of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), where bank branches and public and private properties were damaged.
The reaction there was beyond the expectations of all and sundry. The police and other security agencies remained a silent spectator during the rioting.
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