PUNJAB CIVILIAN VICTIMS OF TERRORISM (RELIEF AND REHABILITATION) ACT 2016

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THE PUNJAB CIVILIAN VICTIMS OF TERRORISM (RELIEF 
AND REHABILITATION) ACT 2016 
(XXXIX of 2016) 
CONTENTS 
1. Short title, extent and commencement 
2. Definitions 
3. Right of civilian victims 
4. Civilian Victims Fund 
5. Ascertainment of a civilian victim 
6. Healthcare of civilian victims 
7. Rehabilitation of civilian victims 
8. Mode of payments 
9. Safeguard against discrimination 
10. Appeal 
11. Fake or fraudulent payments 
12. Assistance 
13. Performance audit 
14. Act not in derogation of other laws 
15. No legal liability 
16. Training 
17. Annual report 
18. Rules 
19. Repeal 
SCHEDULE 
 
TEXT 
1
THE PUNJAB CIVILIAN VICTIMS OF TERRORISM (RELIEF AND 
REHABILITATION) ACT 2016  
(XXXIX of 2016) 
[2nd September 2016] 
An 
Act 
to provide for the institutionalized response to redress the hardship faced by the 
civilian victims and their families owing to an act of terrorism. 
It is necessary to provide for timely recognition and assistance for civilian 
victims of acts of terrorism; recogniz ing the right of civilian victims to receive state 
assistance for relief , healthcare and rehabilitation; arrang ing for adequate funds for 
such assistance; establishing an effective mechanism to track, investigate and 
analyze harm to civilians in acts of terrorism; and, for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as follows:– 
1. Short title, extent and commencement .– (1) This Act may be cited as the 
Punjab Civilian Victims of Terrorism (Relief and Rehabilitation) Act 2016. 
(2) It extends to whole of the Punjab. 
(3) It shall come into force at once. 
2. Definitions.– In this Act: 
(a) “civilian victim” means a person, not being a terrorist or a personnel of 
a law enforcement agency on duty, who suffers harm in body, mind or 
property owing to any act of terrorism and, in the event of death of the 
person, in cludes the spouse of the victim or, in absence of a spouse 
but in order of precedence, a child, mother, father, minor sibling or 
other legal heirs of the victim;  
(b) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of a Division; 
(c) “family member ” means spouse, de pendent child, dependent parent 
and a dependent sibling;  
(d) “Government” means Government of the Punjab; 
(e) “healthcare” includes diagnosis and treatment of an illness or  trauma; 
(f) “law enforcement agency” means, police or any other law enforcement 
agency notified by the Government; 
(g) “notified officer” means the principal administrative officer of a district or 
any other person in the service of Pakistan notified by the Government 
under the Act; 
(h) “prescribed” means prescribed by the rules made under the Act; 
                                                 
1This Act was passed by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 29 August 2016; assented to by the Governor of the Punjab 
on 01 September 2016; and, was published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated: 02 September 2016, pp. 1505-1509. 
(i) “Schedule” means the Schedule appended to the Act; 
(j) “terrorism” means an unlawful act using any explosive, weapon or any 
other means of force or show of force by a terrorist against a person or 
property to intimidate or coerce public, a section of public, the 
Government, Federal Government or any agency or authority of a 
Government in furtherance of political, sectarian, religious, ethnic or 
social objectives and includes a suicide attack, sectarian violence and 
an armed conflict betwee n a terrorist and a law enforcement agency; 
and 
(k) “terrorist” means a person who has committed, attempts to commit or is 
accused of the commission of terrorism. 
3. Right of civilian victims .– (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any 
other law, a civ ilian victim shall be entitled to the grant specified in the Schedule for 
the harm caused to body, mind or property owing to an act of terrorism. 
(2) The Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, amend the 
Schedule to increase the amount of grant or add any other category of harm and fix 
the amount of grant for such harm.  
4. Civilian Victims Fund.– The Government shall, by notification  in the official 
Gazette, establish the Civilian Victims Fund, with a dedicated head of account , for 
timely payment of grants and other benefit to the civilian victims under the Act. 
5. Ascertainment of a civilian victim .– (1) The notified officer shall, within 
reasonable time, preferably within thirty days of a n act of terrorism, communicate to 
the Government the details of the act of terrorism and those of the civilian victims. 
(2) The details of the act of terrorism may include: 
(a) the time, date, place and nature of the act of terrorism; 
(b) the device or devices  used in the act of terrorism, such as bomb, 
explosive or inflammable substance, firearm or any other device;  
(c) a statement, if possible,  about the terrorist or terrorists involved in the 
act of terrorism and the aim of the act of terrorism; 
(d) the name and details of the civilian victim; 
(e) the nature of injuries as determined by Surgeon Medicolegal Punjab or 
the Standing Medical Board in the Punjab; 
(f) the nature and details of harm caused to the  property of the civilian 
victim; 
(g) the name with details of the spouse and other family members of the 
civilian victim; 
(h) the entitlement of the civilian victim to  the payment of grant under 
section 3; 
(i) additional or monthly grant which may be paid to a civilian victim with 
reasons for such recommendation; and 
(j) reports of a law enforcement age ncy, Health, Building and Livestock 
departments. 
(3) The Government shall, within fifteen days from the receipt of 
communication from the notified officer and under intimation to the notified officer, 
transfer the requisite grant payable to the civilian victim in prescribed manner.  
6. Healthcare of civilian victims .– (1) The notified officer shall  ensure 
immediate free medical treatment of a civilian victim from a hospital, owned or 
controlled by the Government, local authority or any entity or agency of t he 
Government. 
(2) In case of non-availability of the treatment in a health facility mentioned 
in subsection (1), the hospital may refer the case to a private medical facility as per 
prevalent rules in this regard. 
7. Rehabilitation of civilian victims .– (1) In addition to the medical treatment 
and payment of grant to the civilian victim, the notified officer may, for reasons to be 
recorded in writing, recommend measures to the Government for rehabilitation of the 
civilian victim. 
(2) The measures under subsection (1) may include: 
(a) monthly grants to the civilian victim for a specified period; 
(b) education or vocational training of the civilian victim or his family 
members at Government’s expense; and  
(c) continued healthcare of the civilian victim and his family members. 
(3) If the Government receives any recommendation under this section, it 
may, wholly or partially, accept the recommendation of the notified officer  or reject it, 
with reasons recorded and communicated in writing. 
(4) The Government  may, on its own  motion, in the prescribed manner, 
direct the notified officer to undertake a scheme for the rehabilitation of a class of 
civilian victims and their family members with special emphasis on education of 
dependent children, provision of livelihood to the civilian victims and their family 
members and of continued healthcare. 
8. Mode of payment s.– (1) The Government may adopt any appropriate mode 
of payment s that may have become available because of modern devices or 
techniques, for timely payment under the Act.  
(2) The notified officer shall, in the prescribed form, maintain a detailed 
record of the payments made to the civilian victim or  his family members and cost 
incurred on his treatment or rehabilitation. 
9. Safeguard against discrimination .– No civilian victim otherwise eligible for 
any grant or other benefits under the Act shall be discriminated against in respect of 
any such grant or benefits on the ground only of age, religion, race, caste, sex , 
colour, residence or place of birth. 
10. Appeal.– (1) A person aggrieved by any decision of the notified officer may, 
within thirty days from the date of communication of the decision, prefer an appeal to 
the Commissioner or any other officer notified for the purpose by the Government. 
(2) The appellate authority shall afford an opportunity of hearing to any 
interested person and shall, through a speaking order, decide the appeal within thirty 
days from the date of filing of the appeal, and the decision of the appellate authority 
shall be final. 
11. Fake or f raudulent payments .– (1) If, on account of any payment made 
under the Act, it transpires to the notified officer or the Commissioner that the 
payment has been made under the Act on the basis of any fraud or 
misrepresentation, the notified officer or  the Commissioner may, initiate criminal 
proceedings under any law and recover the amount paid to the person who was not 
entitled to receive it after affording the person an opportunity of hearing. 
(2) Any person, agg rieved by the decision of the notified officer or  the 
Commissioner under sub section (1) may, within thirty days from the date of 
communication of the decision, prefer an appeal to the Commissioner or  the 
Government. 
(3) The Commissioner or the Government shall afford an opportunity of 
hearing t o any interested person and shall, through a speaking order, decide the 
appeal within thirty days from the date of filing of the appeal, and the decision of the 
appellate authority shall be final. 
12. Assistance.– (1) All officers and agencies of the Government in the district or 
division shall assist the Commissioner and the notified officer in the performance of 
their functions under the Act. 
(2) In the performance of their functions under the Act, the Commissioner 
or the notified officer may call for any  information from any agency of the 
Government and such agency shall immediately provide the requisite information. 
13. Performance audit .– (1) The Government may conduct or cause to be 
conducted the performance audit of the services rendered and payments made on 
periodic basis under the Act. 
(2) The performance audit shall include , among others, the details of the 
quality of services provided by the notified officers, Commissioners and the 
Government to the civilian victims, the identification of weaknesses or lapses and the 
recommendations for improvement. 
14. Act not in derogation of other laws .– (1) Save as otherwise provided in the 
Act, the provisions of the Act are in addition to and not in derogation of any other 
law. 
(2) Notwithstanding anything cont ained in the Act, the right to 
compensation of any person shall not be extinguished or varied and the Government 
or any of its functionaries shall not be absolved from any liability under any other law. 
15. No legal liability .– Notwithstanding anything con tained in any law, any 
payment made to a civilian victim under the Act shall not be construed as admission 
of any wrong on the part of the Government or any functionary of the Government. 
16. Training.– The Government shall, at regular intervals, arrange t raining of the 
notified officers, Commissioners and personnel of law enforcement agencies, Health, 
Building and Livestock departments for achieving the purposes of the Act. 
17. Annual report.– (1) The Government shall, within three months of the close 
of a financial year, submit to the Provincial Assembly an annual report. 
(2) The annual report shall consist of: 
(a) the details of the civilian victims and a comprehensive statement of the 
payments made during the preceding financial year; 
(b) reasons for delay, if any, in making payments to the civilian victims and 
proposed solutions;  
(c) the salient features of the performance audit report, if any; and 
(d) any other matters considered appropriate by the Government or as 
may be prescribed. 
18. Rules.– (1) The Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, make 
rules for carrying out the purposes of the Act. 
(2) In particular, the rules may provide for any of the following matters: 
(a) submission of application to a notified officer; 
(b) mode, manner and periodicity of the payments made to a civilian victim 
or any of his family members;  
(c) repair or construction of a dwelling unit of a civilian victim; 
(d) compensation for loss of livestock or business establishment of a 
civilian victim;  
(e) details of communications between the notified officers and the 
Government for timely payment to the civilian victim and authenticity of 
communication; 
(f) rehabilitation of the civilian victim and his family members; 
(g) medical treatment of the civilian victim; 
(h) maintenance of records and publication of information under the Act; 
(i) procedure for decision of applications and appeals under the Act; and 
(j) maintenance of accounts. 
19. Repeal.– The Punjab Civilian Victims of Terrorism (Relief and Rehabilitati on) 
Ordinance 2016 (X of 2016) is hereby repealed. 
SCHEDULE 
Sr. 
# 
Nature of harm Mode of 
Assessment  
Extent of harm Amount of grant 
in rupees 
1 Death   One million 
2 Grievous Injury On the report 
of Surgeon 
Medicolegal, 
Punjab or the 
Standing 
Medical Board  
Amputation or 
incapacitation of a 
limb 
0.5 million 
3 Substantial 
Injury 
-do- Inability to work 
because of harm for 
a period of more than 
two weeks 
0.1 million 
4 Dwelling Unit On the report 
of Building 
Department 
Complete destruction 0.5 million 
 
Partial destruction 0.1 million 
5 Shop, kiosk or 
any other 
business 
establishment 
-do- 
 
Complete destruction 0.5 million 
Partial destruction 
 
0.1 million 
Loss of commodities 25% 
compensation of 
the cost of 
commodities 
assessed by the 
notified off icer 
which shall not 
exceed one 
million rupees  
6 Vehicle 
 
On the report 
of Motor 
Vehicle 
Examiner 
Bus, Truck or other 
heavy vehicle: 
(a) severe damage 
(b) minor damage 
 
 
(a) 0.5 million 
 
(b) 0.08 million 
Car, Jeep or other 
four or three wheeler; 
and 
(a) severe damage 
(b) minor damage 
 
 
 
(a) 0.2.million 
(b) 0.04 million 
Motor cycle or 
scooter, in case of 
severe damage 
 
0.02 million 
7 Loss of 
Livestock 
On the report 
of Livestock 
Department 
Each buffalo, cow, 
bull, horse or donkey 
0.10 million 
 
Each sheep or goat 0.02 million