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PESHAWAR, Sept 26: The NWFP Assembly on Friday continued its debate on the sexual abuse of a high school students in the city and referred the matter to the concerned standing committee.
When the session, presided over by Deputy Speaker Ikramullah Shahid, started women members drew the attention of the house to the transfer of five school employees for their alleged involvement in the crime. They flayed the education department for transferring the accused to other schools instead of dismissing them from service.
Nighat Yasmeen Orakzai of the PML-Q, Sabra Shakir of the MMA, Yasmeen Pir Mohammad and Farah Aqil Shah of the ANP requested the chair to refer the matter to the concerned standing committee.
Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the ANP, Syed Zakir Shah, Khalid Waqar Chamkani of the MMA, and provincial ministers Hafiz Hashmat Ali and Hussain Ahmed Kanju endorsed the call. They demanded stern action against the culprits.
Mr Chamkani claimed that the ugly business had crept into some other city schools and regretted that no one was bothered about it.
Rejecting two inquiry reports (one by a departmental committee and the other by the parents-teachers association), Education Minister Fazle Ali asked the chair to refer the matter to the standing committee on education for a detailed report and recommendations on the matter. The minister termed both inquiry reports unsatisfactory.
The minister said it would take some time to unearth all the facts about the shameful incident. He said gathering of evidence was not an easy task, for people preferred to remain silent on such issues.
After seeking the opinion of the house, the chair referred the matter to the concerned standing committee.
IBP AFFAIR: The house initiated debate on the non-implementation of the recommendations of a special house committee on the Institution-based Practice (IBP) by doctors.
Anwar Kamal Khan of the PML-N pointed out that the previous military government, through an ordinance, had banned the Independent Private Practice (IPP). The step, he added, had disrupted the working of hospitals and caused distrust among the doctors community. He said after seeking opinion of all the stakeholders, the committee had proposed the restoration of the IPP.
He said the committee had also proposed a health regulatory authority for monitoring the working of hospitals and doctors.
The committee, he added, had suggested reforms on the provision of Zakat funds to hospitals.
Endorsing the report, Mr Bilour, Abdul Akbar Khan and Yasmeen Khan asked the government to remove all the lacunas that were hampering the implementation of the recommendations.
Opposing the report, Amirzada Khan said the special committee had interviewed the health secretary, director-general, and the chief executive of the Hayatabad Medical Complex and compiled a report which, he added, was nothing more than the advocacy of doctors.
He said the committee members did not bother to interview people, who were the real stakeholders in the matter. He said instead of plugging the loopholes in the IBP system, the committee had provided a cover to “dishonest” doctors who were opposed to the system from day one.
Kashif Azam of the MMA endorsed the views expressed by Mr Amirzada Khan.
