Writ petition: Court moved against child labour laws

LAHORE: Enforcement of child labour laws and the appointment of the Child Protection Welfare Bureau’s director-general have been challenged in the Lahore High Court.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Andleeb Abbas has filed a writ petition, contending that the bureau chief should be from Provincial Management Services or District Management Group. The incumbent head, Fatima Sheikh, is from the information group.

The petitioner through Advocate Sheraz Zaka submitted the government had failed to enforce the provisions of Employment of Children Act, 1991 and the Neglected and Destitute Children Act, 2004.

Under the employment of children act, the age of child is mentioned as 14 years whereas under the Punjab Neglected and Destitute Children Law, the age of child is mentioned as 18 years. Under Article 25A of the Constitution, the age of child is mentioned as up to 16 years. The petitioner contended the government should be directed to initiate legislative provisions to remove the discrepancies in laws.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 27^th, 2016.