Article 25-A: ‘Draft law must be opened for public debate’
The participants agree to urge the chief minister to open a public discourse on the draft.
LAHORE:
The Punjab government must open the draft law on the implementation of Article 25-A to public debate, said the participants in a discussion organised by the Idara-i-Taleem-O-Aagahi (ITA) here on Tuesday.
“The draft law should be openly and publicly debated upon,” said ITA programmes director Baela Raza Jamil, speaking shortly after Punjab Education Commission Chairman Justice (retired) Khalil-ur-Rehman revealed that the draft prepared by the commission had been sent to the provincial government.
She said that while the commission claimed diverse participation during the drafting of the law, it should now be made available for a larger debate. She said considering the large number of out-of-school children in Pakistan, implementing the law would be an enormous challenge.
Jamil said though a public consultation had been promised, the draft was yet to be presented publicly by the commission. She noted that the commission had a sub-committee on consultation with stakeholders and public hearing.
Lahore Bar Association President Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said implementation of the law was often weak in Pakistan. He said the LBA would offer its platform for public discussion and urged lawyers to offer their expertise on legal issues pertaining to the implementation of Article 25-A
Child rights activist Iftikhar Mubarak, who works as a programme officer with Plan International Pakistan, said that there was a need to address contradictory laws in the Constitution, referring to the different definitions of the age of a child in different laws.
Advocate Azhar Siddique said civil society must move the courts to address shortfalls in legislatures. He said politicians were usually concerned with just the political implications of initiatives, so the public should press the government to ensure laws are practical and implementable.
However, Siddique suggested that the draft could be made open to public debate only after the drafting process was complete. To this, Justice (r) Khan said civil society needed to engage with the government to ensure that the draft is presented for a public debate.
The participants agreed to urge the chief minister to open a public discourse on the draft.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2012.
The Punjab government must open the draft law on the implementation of Article 25-A to public debate, said the participants in a discussion organised by the Idara-i-Taleem-O-Aagahi (ITA) here on Tuesday.
“The draft law should be openly and publicly debated upon,” said ITA programmes director Baela Raza Jamil, speaking shortly after Punjab Education Commission Chairman Justice (retired) Khalil-ur-Rehman revealed that the draft prepared by the commission had been sent to the provincial government.
She said that while the commission claimed diverse participation during the drafting of the law, it should now be made available for a larger debate. She said considering the large number of out-of-school children in Pakistan, implementing the law would be an enormous challenge.
Jamil said though a public consultation had been promised, the draft was yet to be presented publicly by the commission. She noted that the commission had a sub-committee on consultation with stakeholders and public hearing.
Lahore Bar Association President Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said implementation of the law was often weak in Pakistan. He said the LBA would offer its platform for public discussion and urged lawyers to offer their expertise on legal issues pertaining to the implementation of Article 25-A
Child rights activist Iftikhar Mubarak, who works as a programme officer with Plan International Pakistan, said that there was a need to address contradictory laws in the Constitution, referring to the different definitions of the age of a child in different laws.
Advocate Azhar Siddique said civil society must move the courts to address shortfalls in legislatures. He said politicians were usually concerned with just the political implications of initiatives, so the public should press the government to ensure laws are practical and implementable.
However, Siddique suggested that the draft could be made open to public debate only after the drafting process was complete. To this, Justice (r) Khan said civil society needed to engage with the government to ensure that the draft is presented for a public debate.
The participants agreed to urge the chief minister to open a public discourse on the draft.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2012.