SHC questions home, education secretaries over private schools’ security in Karachi
Court directs officials to submit report by Feb 4 about compliance of its May 25 order regarding foolproof security
PHOTO: ONLINE
KARACHI:
The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Tuesday the provincial home and education secretaries to inform the court about the compliance of its May 25 order regarding the provision of foolproof security to private schools in Karachi.
In its order the SHC questioned the two secretaries as to why they are not providing foolproof security to the metropolitan city’s private schools which are facing terror threats and directed them to file their reports by February 4.
Many schools in capital lack security
The court was hearing the petition filed by Advocate Javed Iqbal Burki, a human rights activist along with the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research and the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum to charge the relevant authorities with contempt.
In October last year, a divisional bench of the SHC had warned the provincial education authorities about the issuance of show-cause notices to them if they failed to implement the court orders regarding the security of private educational institutes.
“The private schools are charging heavy fees in the name of security and they have become a business only to fill their pockets,” the SHC judges had said while hearing a contempt application against the provincial home and education authorities for their failure to provide adequate security to private educational institutes.
Repeated directive: SHC orders education authorities to ensure private schools’ security
In its May 25 order, the SHC had ordered a survey to pinpoint which schools are vulnerable and the provision of adequate security arrangements by the provincial government.
The court had further directed the concerned authorities to submit a compliance report within four weeks, which the provincial administration failed to submit after the lapse of the given period.
However, on August 27 the education secretary had filed a so-called compliance report on behalf of the chief secretary but the report was termed a clear violation, subversion and a blatant attempt to undermine the order by the complainant.
The court had expressed its dissatisfaction over the education secretary’s report and ordered the education secretary and others to take practical steps towards security of Sindh’s schools.
FIRs registered against govt schools, offices for lack of security
Educational institutions across the country are facing terror apprehensions and striving to uplift security arrangements after the recent Taliban assault on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa which sent a chilling reminder of a similar 2014 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Tuesday the provincial home and education secretaries to inform the court about the compliance of its May 25 order regarding the provision of foolproof security to private schools in Karachi.
In its order the SHC questioned the two secretaries as to why they are not providing foolproof security to the metropolitan city’s private schools which are facing terror threats and directed them to file their reports by February 4.
Many schools in capital lack security
The court was hearing the petition filed by Advocate Javed Iqbal Burki, a human rights activist along with the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research and the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum to charge the relevant authorities with contempt.
In October last year, a divisional bench of the SHC had warned the provincial education authorities about the issuance of show-cause notices to them if they failed to implement the court orders regarding the security of private educational institutes.
“The private schools are charging heavy fees in the name of security and they have become a business only to fill their pockets,” the SHC judges had said while hearing a contempt application against the provincial home and education authorities for their failure to provide adequate security to private educational institutes.
Repeated directive: SHC orders education authorities to ensure private schools’ security
In its May 25 order, the SHC had ordered a survey to pinpoint which schools are vulnerable and the provision of adequate security arrangements by the provincial government.
The court had further directed the concerned authorities to submit a compliance report within four weeks, which the provincial administration failed to submit after the lapse of the given period.
However, on August 27 the education secretary had filed a so-called compliance report on behalf of the chief secretary but the report was termed a clear violation, subversion and a blatant attempt to undermine the order by the complainant.
The court had expressed its dissatisfaction over the education secretary’s report and ordered the education secretary and others to take practical steps towards security of Sindh’s schools.
FIRs registered against govt schools, offices for lack of security
Educational institutions across the country are facing terror apprehensions and striving to uplift security arrangements after the recent Taliban assault on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa which sent a chilling reminder of a similar 2014 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.