Islamabad, 8th June, 2023; 24th meeting of the Standing Committee on Human Rights was held today under the Chairpersonship of Dr. Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto, MNA, in the Committee Room No. 7 (fourth floor) Parliament House. The meeting commenced with recitation from the Holy Quran. The Hon. Chairperson welcomed all the participants and afterwards decided to precede as per agenda items. 

 

 

The Chairperson National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) briefed the Committee on Financial and Administrative issues of NCRC. She informed that for resolving financial issues Economic Coordination Committee has agreed to provide Rs. 37.00 million to NCRC. Out of 66 posts created for Commission, the Finance Division has sanctioned 27 posts. Financial rules, 2023 have been approved and awaiting ratification by the Federal Cabinet, moreover, Power and Function Rules, 2023 have been approved and rectified by the Cabinet. The Committee directed the Commission to fill all the vacant seats of the Members of the Commission in provinces immediately for proper functioning of the Commission. The Committee desired early finalization of the financial rules of NCRC.

The Secretary, Ministry Human Rights, informed the Committee that the Child Protection institute is an independent/autonomous organization which does not come under NCRC. Presently the Institute has been temporarily housed in a building belonging to MoHR, while the Ministry is also working on its permanent solution. The Committee showed dissatisfaction over lack of data over child labor, child marriages, forced marriages, out of school children, honor killings and drug addicts in educational institutes. The NCRC informed that the Commission is handicapped due to non-availability of necessary financial, human and technical resources.

The Secretary, MoHR, further informed the Committee that the NCRC has been reconstituted as the tenure of the previous Chairperson and members of the Commission had completed. He further informed that to resolve the financial issues of the NCRC the budget allocation for 2023-24 amounts to Rs. 55.00 million which is almost double as compared to last financial year. On the briefing on the Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Act, 2020 the Committee was informed that the Rules has been prepared.  

The Ministry also shared breakup of funds provided to the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), for last 5 years, by the International Donors along with utilization of these funds. The Committee desired briefing by the Chairman CDA on the recommendation regarding ant-encroachment drive and declaring certain parks in each sector of Islamabad as Family Parks.

The Secretary M/o Human Rights shared, with the Committee,  the enquiry report on the issue of physical torture of a child in the Special Education Centre for Hearing Impaired Children, H-9 Islamabad. He informed that a major penalty of compulsory retirement from Government Services was imposed in the case.

Honorable Members Ms. Zeb Jaffar, Ms. Maiza Hameed, Mr. Naveed Aamir Jeeva, Ms. Kishwer Zehra,  Prof. Dr.. Shahnaz Naseer Baloch, Mr. Mohsin Dawar MNAs, attended the meeting.