Islamabad, May 19, 2022 (PPI-OT):Senate panel on Wednesday while conducting a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior with Senator Mohsin Aziz in the Chair here at the Parliament Lodges, took serious notice of the mafia culture being rapidly developed on the pretext for freedom of speech to ethnic groups and allowance of ideologies and political nationalism by students as an ill will, at Quaid-e-Azam University and other public sector universities in Islamabad and directed the Islamabad Capital Territory administration to hold meetings with the administration of Quaid-e-Azam University and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to curb these activities and activist bringing destruction to the education system in the country.

This issue was brought up during a discussion on the Public Petition No 4069 regarding life threats to students of Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, it was contended that the students of Balochistan are being marginalized.

The Baloch Students were the victims of the incident of protest on 1-03-2022 but they are being treated as aggressors, an FIR was lodged on the complaint of Baloch students as per investigation they were the victims of the incident but the university administration has taken action against the Baloch students.

The students contended that they have been harassed and tortured by a particular set of ethnic activist group dominating various activities of the university, infringing the rights of the students of other ethnic groups and ideologies by refraining them to debate. Senator Sarfaraz Ahmed Bhugti was of the view that elements of ethnic division and political activism if present in universities will lead to distortion of the future of students in the country.

The Chairman Committee gave directions to the ICT administration to hold a meeting with the Quaid-e-Azam University and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) on the excessive furthering of ethnic groups and collectivism activities in the university. The Chairman Committee also gave directions to give immediate and basic relief to the grievances of the students regarding the confiscation of mobile and identity cards as presented in the meeting.

The Chairman Committee also opposed the reinstating of the students who were charged guilty of harassment and creating a law and order situation. The matter was deferred for further deliberation in the next meeting.

Earlier in the meeting the Senate Committee unanimously passed the Bill further to amend the Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965 {The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2022, as introduced by Senator Shahadat Awan while the Bill further to amend the Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Act, 2020, [The ICT Waqf properties (Amendment) Bill, 2021,] introduced by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed was deferred due to his non-availability. It was presented that according to the data of the Islamabad Traffic Police, 15,233 drivers had been fined in the first nine months of 2021 for using mobile phones while driving.

The data showed that there is an increasing trend, especially amongst the youth to use their phones to text, voice calls and video making while driving motor vehicles which sometimes leads to harmful situations, therefore it was proposed to add a new section to ban such practice and impose fines on the violators. The bill was unanimously passed as presented by Senator Shahadat Awan.

The committee also discussed a number of points of public importance. The matter regarding the clash between students in International Islamic University Islamabad, raised by Senator Kamran Murtaza was disposed of. A detailed report by the Ministry of Interior was submitted on the facts of the matter.

The committee was apprised that presently the cases are under investigation and SHO police Station Sabzi Mandi has been directed to conclude both the cases purely on merit without fear and favour of any party at its earliest.

The matter regarding the shifting of the Department of Libraries from the National Library Building to Islamabad Public Library Building sector H-9 Islamabad raised by Senator Fida Muhammad Khan was also discussed in the meeting. The committee members objected to the unsatisfactory and inadequate report of the matter and sought full details on the list of seniority of the employees whose seniority, they apprehend had been disturbed.

The Ministry apprised the committee that the shifting of the Department of Library took place through the notification of the Cabinet Division and is not under the control of the Ministry. On the question of the vacant post of Director General (BPS -20) department of Libraries, the Ministry apprised that post can only be filled by the Establishment Division through the Central Selection Board.

The matter was deferred for further deliberation after the tabulated report on the list of seniority of the employees and the decision of the Central Selection Board on the vacant post of the Director General since 2016.

The Public Petition regarding the presence of stray children and women in Sector D -12 dispersing garbage all over the vicinity after taking out items of use and involving in incidents of theft was disposed of with the direction to take up the matter with the Director Sanitation, Capital Development Authority (CDA) and steps be taken for permanent removal of stray children and women from sector D 12.

The Chairman Committee also directed the ICT administration to take steps along with the CDA and improve the garbage collection process and overall hygiene of the capital city.

Detailed discussion on the Public Petition no 3813 regarding the case of abduction and subsequent murder of Mr Ishtiaq Ali Abro registered at police station Jamshoro Sindh was also taken place. Representation from Sindh police along with other attached departments attended the meeting, detailed briefing on the facts of the case was presented by the complainant.

The matter was disposed of with the directions to constitute a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on the matter. It was further directed that the matter be referred to the Home Department, Sindh Government and the Minister for Defence to constitute a JIT as per rules and probe investigation into the matter. The Chairman Committee was also directed to release all benefits to the family of the deceased as per the service rules.

It was contended by the complainant that his brother was disabled and got promoted as an assistant professor of the FG Public School in Malir Cantt, Karachi, who went missing on the morning of March 21, was found dead in the KB Feeder Canal in Jhirk, Thatta district, after 3 days.

The complainant believed that the manner of the disappearance of 36-year-old Ishtiaq Ali Abro and his subsequent death leaves the family suspecting that he was murdered after receiving threats from certain teachers refraining him from exposing certain inappropriate activities in and outside school by them.

The meeting was attended by Senators Maula Bux Chandio, Saifullah Abro, Faisal Saleem Rehman, Shahadat Awan, Fawzai Arshad, and Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti. Secretary Interior along with other senior officers and representatives of the attached departments were also in attendance.

For more information, contact:
Senate of Pakistan
H.No.7, Cat-II, G-8/2, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9204564534
Fax: +92-51-9205703
E-mail: senate@comsats.net.pk
Website: www.senate.gov.pk