PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday ordered the provincial government to pay compensation fixed for the police personnel to legal heirs of a Christian policeman, who had died in twin suicide blasts at a church in 2013.
A bench consisting of Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Musarrat Hilali accepted a petition filed by Christiana Imtiaz, wife of martyred policeman Imtiaz Riad, to seek Shuhada Package (compensation), which is normally given away to the policeman killed in the line of duty.
The policeman was killed along with around 100 other members of the Christian community when two suicide bombers blew themselves up inside the All Saints Church in Kohati area on Sept 22, 2013.
The petitioner’s counsel, Zarak Arif Shah, said that Imtiaz Riaz was appointed a special police officer to the police department in 2010 and that he was present at the All Saints Church during the 2013 suicide bombings.
He said that his client had approached the provincial government seeking Shuhada Package fixed for policemen, however, he said that despite his client’s continuous efforts, the government was reluctant to pay the due compensation to her.
