Indus University on the cards

Calling for the establishment of a provincial health and education watchdog, the Sindh Assembly lawmakers on Thursday gave the charter to the Sindh government to upgrade the Indus Institute of Higher Education (IIHE) to the status of a university.
The provincial legislators also adopted a unanimous resolution to reiterate their resolve that women of Pakistan are entitled to full rights and privileges as enunciated by Islam and the country’s constitution on the International Women’s Day.
Commenting on the resolution, PPP lawmaker Humera Alwani informed the House that during 2011, around 1,575 women were assassinated, 279 kidnapped, 610 suffered domestic violence, 827 were gang raped and 705 fell victim to honour killing. Deferring the Sindh Coal Bill, 2012 till Monday, the House unanimously passed into law the Indus University Bill, 2011 with the lawmakers calling for keeping a close vigil on the private education and health institutions across the province. MQM’s Sardar Ahmed called for a strong check on private hospitals that are not ready to serve poor patients unless their fee is paid. “We also need to see the role of private educational and health institutions as the government gave land to them at throwaway prices but the result is that the poor cannot avail health or educational facilities.”
PML-F’s Nusrat Saher Abbasi said that the law and order situation in some varsities should be taken into account as students in the name of politics are being martyred in the presence of Rangers and police personnel. He also called for the appointment of experienced professors as university chancellors instead of retired persons. Sindh Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani assured swift action on his part when MQM’s Muzammil Qureshi drew the House’s attention towards the dilapidated condition of the University Road. Other proposals extended by the lawmakers included declaring primary education free, setting up of more varsity campuses in other districts of Sindh and directing the administrations of private universities to keep their fees low.
After taking up the bill clause-by-clause and passing it with a unanimous vote, the House then clubbed and adopted almost 13 “identical” resolutions to pay homage to the country’s women on the women’s day. Commenting on the resolution, Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri condemned the anti-women statements of former President Pervez Musharraf, Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulab Rahim and a PML-N leader.
Marvi and Saher criticised their coalition partners in the government for their failure to bring a bill on women protection in the assembly.