Peshawar: Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Babar Saleem Swati on Monday approved the formation of a special legislative committee to oversee harassment cases at educational institutions.
The decision was taken as lawmakers at the KP Assembly highlighted and condemned the harassment of a female student by a teacher at a university in the province.
Speaker Swati stressed the need for legislative reforms, stating that institutions often become unaccountable once granted autonomy.
Provincial Minister Dr. Amjad Ali pointed out that perpetrators often escaped punishment through departmental inquiries and called for a special committee to visit educational institutions and assess the situation.
PML-N lawmaker Sobia Shahid urged the formation of a harassment committee and inclusion of strict laws on the assembly’s agenda.
MPA Abdul Islam Afridi suggested legal amendments and proposed removing individual discretion in awarding marks to prevent blackmail.
MPA Rehana Ismail called for establishment of a strict anti-harassment mechanism.
MPA Munir Laghmani argued that internal marking systems also contributed to the problem.
Minister for Prisons Humayun Khan informed the assembly that the incident occurred on February 14, and the Chief Minister had already formed a committee comprising Grade-19 officers Asif Rahim and Sonia Shamroz Khan to investigate.
The committee was scheduled to meet the alleged victim on the same day. However, he supported the proposal of a permanent legislative committee to address such issues.
Additionally, the assembly condemned the arrest of MPA Ali Shah and called for the issuance of his production order.
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