Notice issued to CS in uniform education system case
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Sindh chief secretary on a petition seeking equal educational opportunities for citizens and introduction of one syllabus and same textbooks in all schools, colleges and universities in the province.
Petitioner Islam Hussain, chairman of Al-Qanoon Foundation, impleaded the federal and provincial education secretaries and the cabinet secretary as respondents.
The bench put the chief secretary on notice after the provincial education secretary in his comments stated that 32 new schemes in the education sector were pending for approval under the Annual Development Programme 2010-2011.
The petitioner submitted that the education had become a thriving industry in the country as a large number of private schools and educational institutions had been established while the government institutions were in dilapidated conditions.
He stated that the syllabus of each school was different and foreign-published books and exercise books were compulsorily supplied to students by private institutions.
Besides, the petitioner submitted that these private schools were charging very high fees and poor and middle-class families could not even dream of affording such schools and colleges.
He said that the private schools were being run like an industry and they were not only creating a distinguished class, but also a sense of deprivation and feeling of inferiority among students belongs to poor and middle-class families, which amounted to discrimination and exploitation not permissible under Articles 2A, 3 and 25 of the Constitution.
The petitioner stated that Article A-37 of the constitution laid down the principles that the government shall promote, with special care, the educational and economic interests of backward classes or areas, remove illiteracy and provide compulsory secondary and higher education equally.
He prayed to the court to direct the respondents to introduce one and the same syllabus and same textbooks in all schools, colleges and universities.
He also requested the court to direct the respondents to make swift arrangements for appointment of well-educated teachers in all schools and colleges of the province and provide all required facilities to the teachers and students.
The petitioner asked the court to direct the local body authorities to establish libraries in every area under their jurisdiction to help students.A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany put off the hearing to Oct 5.
Judgment reserved on ex-IG plea
The Sindh High Court on Tuesday reserved the pronouncement of judgment on a petition of a former Sindh police chief, Rana Maqbool Ahmed, seeking protection and protective bail in a 1999 case on an attempt on the life of Asif Ali Zardari, who was then in police custody.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany reserved the judgment after hearing the concluding arguments of Sindh Advocate-General Yousuf Leghari and the reply of the petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Rana Shamim.
The case against the former police chief, former chairman of the Ehtesab Bureau Saifur Rehman, his brother Mujeebur Rehman, ex-DIG Farooq Amin Qureshi and jail superintendent Najaf Mirza was reinitiated after the SHC set aside their acquittal order on an application of Mr Zardari, who had also prayed for trial against the accused for attempting to kill him in police custody.
The petition was filed by a friend of Rana Maqbool, who expressed serious apprehension about his life in case he arrived in Sindh to attend court proceedings and his life would be in jeopardy at the hands of provoked activists of the Pakistan People’s Party.
He submitted that Rana Maqbool was also being threatened by activists of the ruling party and there was a great danger to his life if his trial was conducted in Karachi or in any other district of the province.
The petitioner also challenged the issuance of non-bailable warrants against Rana Maqbool by the trial court and prayed to the court to set aside the impugned notices and quash the case as no case was made out against him and the trial court had already acquitted him of the charges due to lack of evidence.
The petitioner prayed to the court to provide the former IG protection and grant him protective bail, enabling him to defend his case through his counsel and, in the meantime, order be issued to the provincial government for not taking any coercive action against him. The AG and the Sindh Prosecutor-General, Shahadat Awan, questioned the maintainability of the petition filed by a friend of Rana Maqbool’s.
They submitted that the former Sindh IG had obtained protective bail on July 1, 2007 for two weeks from the Lahore High Court. However, he said, Rana Maqbool did not appear in the trial court.
They stated that the accused later approached the Supreme Court, which also rejected his pleas that attained finality.
The provincial government law officers contended that Rana Maqbool later filed petitions in the SHC for almost similar relief, but withdrew them.
They stated that the ex-IG was declared a proclaimed offender on Aug 11, 2008, whereas a revision application was pending disposal before the SHC.
Dawn
