ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation has suggested stern criteria for appointment of clerics and muezzin in the state-owned mosques in the federal capital.

The committee meeting, which was chaired by Senator Naseema Ehsan, discussed the draft Waqf Property Board Rules for Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) as well as matter of appointment of Muezzin/Khadim/Imams and directed that such appointment should be purely dealt on merit.

The committee also directed the relevant department to resolve the issue of proscribed persons under the Anti-Terrorism Act in consultation with Council of Islamic Ideology and Ulema Committee ICT.

Senator Naseema Ehsan noted that there has to be a way to exclude the names of those persons from the Fourth Schedule against whom no solid evidence has been presented.

The meeting was informed by the ICT administration that, by and large, consensus was developed on the draft Waqf Property Rule (ICT).

However few suggestions were presented by the committee including that “any person convicted by any court of law shall not be eligible to be appointed as Waqf manager and any person whose name is included in the Fourth Schedule shall not be appointed as Waqf manager”.

The committee chairperson inquired about child protection/safeguards against trafficking and other illegal activities such as forced labour etc.

The committee was informed by the representative of the National Commission on Rights of Children (NCRC) that the commission has an advisory role on the matter but had no implementation powers.

It observed that the issue under consideration was basically a human rights issue, therefore the Ministry of Human Rights must be present in the forthcoming meeting of the committee.

Senator Naseema Ehsan remarked that a framework is required for the adoption of children in ICT, and there is an immediate need to develop a mechanism on the model of the Punjab Child Protection Bureau to ensure the safety of children. The committee decided to invite the child protection institutes of all provinces to the next meeting for their input in making the ICT Child Protection Institute more effective.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2024