The Ministry of Finance is using delaying tactics and creating hurdles while releasing funds to the families of martyrs in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), said a senior official.
Joint Secretary Ministry of States and Frontier Region (SAFRON), Tariq Hayat Khan while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on SAFRON said that there is no flaw in the policy but Finance Division is not releasing funds for the families of martyrs and treating SAFRON as alms-seeker.
"Unfortunately families of martyrs in FATA have not got their due right and we are begging for our martyrs," he further lamented, adding that Ministry of Finance released only Rs 260 million last year after quite reluctance.
On this, Federal Minister for SAFRON Abdul Qadir Baloch said that he will raise this issue in the next federal cabinet meeting. "This is my negligence and I will raise this issue in the cabinet meeting," he vowed.
The committee which met with MNA Muhammad Jamalud Din in the chair observed that huge misuse has been committed in the funds allocated for constitution of peace committees in South Waziristan Agency.
Jamalud Din said that the committee should be informed about the spending of Rs 2.5 million released for making peace committees in South Waziristan as not a signal peace committee exists in his constituency.
MNA Qasir Jamal said that committee should be informed about the details of spending of fund allocated for making peace committees in order to know who has embezzled this amount.
"It seems that the funds allocated for formation of peace committees had been given to Taliban," MNA Sahibzada Tariq Ullah said sarcastically.
The committee took serious notice of the absence of the additional chief secretary FATA and directed the Ministry of SAFRON to write a letter and convey the reservations of the parliamentary body to the governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and make sure his (secretary's) presence in the next meeting positively; otherwise, the committee will move a privilege motion against him.
The senior officials informed the meeting that announcement of a special grant of Rs 100 million for development schemes in South Waziristan Agency by the governor Khyber Pakhtunkwa is under the process of approval.
Jamalud Din said, "This is very shocking for us that package announced by the governor two years ago is still under approval stage. Which approval do you need after the approval of the governor?" the chairman asked SAFRON officials.
The SAFRON officials apprised the committee that they have taken a number of initiatives for improvement of education system in FATA. They further said that to check teachers' absenteeism, Independent Monitoring Unite (IMU) is being established in FATA to make sure 100 percent attendance of teachers.
They further said that scholarships and stipends of Rs 484.881 million are awarded to talented and deserving 47,522 students of FATA. To promote female education, special stipends are being provided to female students of class 6th to 10th, they said.
They said that free textbooks worth of Rs 195.386 million are being provided to students of KG to 10th class.
The meeting was also attended by Ghalib Khan, Begum Tahira Bukhari, Iffat Liaqat, Dr Asma Mamdot, Suraiya Jatoi, Aftab Shaban Mirani, Muhammad Kamal Malik, Bilal Rehman, Nasir Khan, Mian Shahid Hussain Khan Bhatti and senior officials.
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