PESHAWAR: Treasury and opposition members in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday called for the strict implementation of the law on child protection to check abuse and violence against children.

Winding up discussion on an adjournment motion regarding abuse and murder of three minor girls in Peshawar during the last couple of weeks, labour minister Shaukat Yousafzai told the house that a comprehensive law was in place to deal with violence against children but it needed immediate yet strict implementation.

He said awareness among parents was also required to guide children about sexual abuse.

“The government should direct the police not to allow children to venture outside their homes during late hours. The government should ban the movement of children outside homes without their parents after 8pm,” he said.

During PA session, minister says minors should be ‘banned’ from stepping out alone after 8pm

The minister said work on the Peshawar Safe City Project was in progress with the pilot project already launched in Hayatabad Township.

He said the project would be extended to the entire city as funds for it were available.

He said investigation into the murder of a Peshawar girl after rape was in progress and the police would arrest culprits ‘soon’.

The opposition members expressed dismay over the incidents of sexual abuse and murder of children and demanded rigorous punishment for culprits.

PPP member Nighat Yasmin Orakzai, who moved the motion, insisted that the government should complete the Peshawar Safe City Project as soon as possible.

She said unfortunately, the province didn’t have a forensic lab, so the cases were referred to a Lahore lab for investigation.

She demanded the formulation of a committee comprising treasury and opposition on the matter.

JUI-F member Hafiz Hisammuddin said late marriage and drug use among youth were major causes of violence against children.

He said under Sharia, the people should marry off their children soon after they attained puberty.

Dr Sumaira Shams of the PTI said the bill to protect children rights was passed with proposed amendments and it was duty of the bureaucracy to take steps for its implementation.

She said the committees of the Women Commission should be constituted for the implementation of laws relating to the protection of women and children’s rights.

Inayatullah Khan of the MMA suggested that steps be taken to control violence among youth due to online games.

He also said ‘obscenity had increased in society due to the misuse of mobile phones’.

The lawmaker regretted target killings in Waziristan tribal region and said the deteriorating law and order situation would negatively impact economy.

Ikhtiar Wali of the PML-N demanded public hanging of those involved in the rape and murder of children. He asked the government to empower the police to deal with miscreants.

The assembly approved the KP Safe Blood Transfusion Project (Phase-II) Employees (Regularisation of Services) Bill, 2022, and KP Apprenticeship Bill, 2022, and deferred one bill due to the absence of the education minister.

During question hour, the house was informed that Wapda had to pay Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a total of Rs918 billion on account of net hydel profit and the province did not get the amount during the last five years.

A written reply to a question of MPA Inayatullah said that the provincial government took up the matter in the meetings of Council of Common Interest (CCI) and a committee was formed on Dec 23, 2019, to determine the amount of dues.

The committee held three meetings and would submit its report to the CCI after finalising it in light of recommendations of its members.

Earlier, MPA Inayatullah wondered what measures the PTI government had taken to claim electricity arrears.

Responding to the supplementary questions, law minister Fazl Shakoor said under the AGN Qazi formula, profit was being paid at the rate of Rs8.9 per unit.

He said a memorandum of understanding was signed in 2016 between the centre and the province for the payment of net hydel profit at the rate of Rs1.1 per unit rate, while Rs20 billion had been paid annually since then.

Responding to a calling attention notice, minister for higher education Kamran Bangash told the assembly that the department of anti-corruption and the provincial inspection team were looking into a delay in the issuance of degrees by the University of Engineering and Technology to PhD and MPhil students He said the students deposited fee in the bank but the amount was not shown in the university account causing the issue.

“The bank officials received the amount and issued receipts but didn’t credit the amount in the university’s account,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2022