ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel unanimously passed the National Commission on Rights of Child (Amendment) Bill on Monday.

The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights was held at Parliament House with Senator Walid Iqbal in the chair.

The bill was moved by Senator Faisal Javed, seeking certain amendments so that it served the purpose for which it was introduced.

The bill is designed to cater to the needs of unattended children and also to address the conduct of unconcerned parents towards such children.

Discussing the matter regarding “Implementation of recommendations of the functional committee on human rights with respect to treatment of a child by K-Electric”, raised by Senator Keshoo Bai in the Senate on February 14, officials of K-Electric informed the committee that they had approached a company specialised in prosthetics and found out that it was registered in December 2021.

“We only want the company to at least fulfill our requirements,” they added.

However, officials of the company said it was launched as a startup in 2016 and incorporated in 2021 and had completed its vendor registration.

The company is in constant contact with K-Electric and negotiating the price for the arm implantation which could cost Rs1.2 million.

The K-Electric officials said the matter was of a technical nature and they cannot give their opinion on it.

The chairman of the committee directed the officials of K-Electric to ensure their presence in the next meeting so the issue could be sorted out.

Furthermore, the committee deferred a matter regarding the number of Pakistani citizens currently detained in Guantanamo Bay to the next meeting owing to the absence of Senator Mushtaq Ahmed.

The meeting was attended by senators Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Mohammad Tahir Bizinjo, Gurdeep Singh, Seemee Ezdi, Abida Mohammad Azeem, Falak Naz, Prof Dr Mehr Taj Roghnai, Faisal Javed, Keshoo Bai and senior officers of the Ministry of Human Rights and K-Electric.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2022