PESHAWAR, Feb 19: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure over delay in enactment of laws by the provincial government on key issues and directed it to expedite the legislation process for setting up a private school regulatory authority.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth observed that last month, the provincial government had made commitment that the bill pertaining to the setting up of regulatory authority was referred to a committee of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and would be soon passed by the House, but the commitment had not been fulfilled so far.

It observed that the government was not serious in legislating on issues pertaining to the people’s welfare.

The bench observed that more than seven months ago, the court had prepared drafts of two proposed laws, Criminal Mobile Courts Act, 2012 and Civil Mobile Courts Act, 2012, and sent them to the provincial law department for legislation, but the needful had been delayed by the government.

The chief justice observed that the United Nations Development Programme had been funding the project of mobile courts and it had also ordered manufacturing of special coasters in Japan for that purpose.

He added that special coasters had not been imported due to delay in enactment of these laws.

Justice Dost Mohammad observed that these mobile courts would benefit the people in far-flung areas, but the government appeared to be least interested in projects meant for the people’s welfare.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Dr Tahir Mehmood against non-implementation of its earlier order by a private educational institution regarding fee concession to siblings studying in the same school.

The petitioner claimed that two of his children had been studying at a private education institution, which was reluctant to follow the court order and extend fee concession to them.

Deputy advocate general Alamgir Durrani informed the bench that the provincial government had prepared the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Authority Bill, 2012 and tabled it before the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

He said the said bill was referred to the relevant committee, which had approved it, and that the House would soon pass it.

Mr Durrani said the existing law was not so clear and comprehensive on the subject due to which the government had decided to enforce the new law.