KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday directed the director general of Sindh Rangers, inspector general of police, home secretary and others to file their comments on a petition seeking whereabouts of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Shahid Pasha, who is reported to have been “missing” for the last couple of days.

A two-judge bench also put the federal and provincial law officers on notice and adjourned the hearing to a date to be later fixed by the court’s office.

The wife of the missing MQM-P leader had moved the SHC submitting that her spouse was taken into custody by law enforcers within the remit of the New Town police station on Dec 15 when he was on the way home from the MQM-P head office in Bahadurabad.

The petitioner stated that Mr Pasha was arrested along with his driver who was later released, but her husband was still in custody.

Impleading the Rangers DG, IGP, Sindh home secretary and the New Town SHO as respondents, she asked the court to direct them to release her husband forthwith.

JIT demanded to probe education standards

The MQM-P leader was arrested in the past also in a case pertaining to MQM founder Altaf Hussain’s Aug 22, 2016 incendiary speech. Later, he was released on bail.

JIT sought to probe dual education standards

Two civil rights campaigners have filed a constitutional petition in the SHC against “dual standards” of education in the province and seeking formation of joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the matter impartially.

Petitioners Alamgir Khan of ‘Fix it’ and Atam Parkash of the Justice Helpline Trust submitted in their joint petition that there were not enough middle and high schools to meet the challenge of providing necessary education to children in the province.

They said according to a survey report, around 6,000 government schools were not functioning and, on the other hand, more than 40,000 ghost teachers were not working due to their political influence.

The petitioners, represented by Advocate Nadeem Shaikh, said that it was observed that political influence was the main factor in ruining the education system in the province, which was very much evident with past experience when the provincial government asked the government teachers for biometric verification to confirm their employment but the whole procedure was sabotaged by corrupt teachers and politicians.

They submitted that the provincial assembly had passed the Sindh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill in February 2013 with the aim to provide free-of-cost education to every child.

“Clause 3(1) of the said act clearly mentions that every child of the age of five to 16 years regardless of sex and race shall have a fundamental right to free and compulsory education in a school,” they added.

The petitioners said that according to a survey conducted by the Sindh education department, 77 per cent schools were in unsatisfactory conditions and almost 50pc do not have basic facilities of safe drinking water and ablution.

They maintained that the Sindh government claimed to promote education in the province under its “education emergency” plan but no betterment had been observed in the education sector and the conditions had become worse.

They said that in Pakistan the double standard of education had been introduced, as one system prevailing throughout the country was related to public sector and the other one was an outcome of private investors.

Impleading chief secretary, education and finance secretaries and member of the education sector planning and development board as respondents, the petitioners asked the court to order constitution of a JIT consisting of members from all investigation authorities, including the Pakistan Army, and direct them to investigate the matter impartially and honestly.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2017