Islamabad (Staff Report): Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar has taken suo motu notice of alleged embezzlement in over $5 billion financial funds donated by the international community for rehabilitation 0f the survivors of 2005 earthquake.
Sheraz Mehmood Qureshi, a social activist from Mansehra had moved an application, accusing politicians and officials of embezzling the quake funds.
The apex court has fixed March 26 for taking up the case.
The SC has directed the respondents, including the attorney general, KP advocate general, director general Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra) Islamabad and the applicant Mr Qureshi, to ensure their presence in the court on the date fixed for the hearing.
Mr. Qureshi in his application pleaded that the people of Mansehra alone suffered over 17,000 deaths in the tragedy 12 years ago, which almost entirely flattened the Balakot town, but ‘financial assistance meant for payment of compensation and rehabilitation of the survivors has been embezzled’.
He continued that due to the financial misappropriation the people of Balakot were still residing in makeshift prefabricated houses donated by Saudi Arabia.
‘New Balakot City housing project was still in the doldrums. Schools and health facilities destroyed in the tragedy are still not reconstructed in Balakot and other parts of the district,” he argued.