Acting President Mian Raza Rabbani, speaking at a seminar on child rights at Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), asked the government to call a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to bring the laws on child rights enacted in the provinces to one place and ensure their implementation as a comprehensive law.
The acting president urged the government to form a joint parliamentary committee with equal participation of government and opposition members of both houses mandated to look into the performance and implementation of the law.
The joint parliamentary committee should initially present its reports to both Houses on a quarterly basis, he said. The acting president also asked for all human rights and international covenants to be presented before the Senate and the National Assembly.
Acting President Raza Rabbani said that although the constitution of Pakistan and international covenants, to which Pakistan is a signatory, ensure protection of children’s rights, the tragic incidents in Kasur and Lahore still happen. He asked the government to declare 2016 a year of “Best Interests of the Child” for the sake of the protection of our children.
