ISLAMABAD: Acting President Mian Raza Rabbani has asked the government to call a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to bring child rights laws enacted in various provinces to one place and ensure their implementation as a comprehensive law.

Speaking at a seminar on child rights at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), Rabbani urged the government to form a joint parliamentary committee, with equal participation from both government and opposition members of both houses, mandated to look into the performance and implementation of the law.

He said that the committee should initially present its reports to both houses on a quarterly basis.

Rabbani also called for human rights and international covenants to be presented before the Senate or the National Assembly. He said that although the constitution of Pakistan and the international covenants to which Pakistan is a signatory ensure the protection of child rights, the incidents in Kasur and in Lahore are tragic.

He also called on the government to declare 2016 as the year of the ‘best interests of the child’, to promote the protection of children.

“After playing with the nation for 68 years, we are at a crossroads where all roads but one lead to destruction,” Rabbani said.

He said that the government must move towards the implementation of laws on a priority basis, as the country has the potential to bounce back.

Rabbani also conveyed his regret for the victims of the Kasur incident.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2015

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