Zubair Qureshi
Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education, Professional Training, National History and Literary Heritage in its meeting on Monday was informed that under the federal government three sites: Rawat Fort, Shah Allah Ditta Caves and Ban Faqeerian.
The senate’s standing committee’s meeting held at the Parliament House with Senator Rahila Magsi in chair. The meeting was attended by Senators Moulvi Faiz Muhammad, Shamim Afridi, Najma Hameed, Gul Bashra, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Additional Secretary from the ministry, Executive Director HEC, VC Abdul Wali Khan University, Dean Bacaha Khan University, VC Agricultural University, Vice President Institute of Chartered Accountants, senior professors from Allama Iqbal Open University and COMSATS university.
The committee was briefed regarding steps taken by the government to preserve national heritage in the country, the Committee was told by the ministry that after 18th Amendment the national heritage sites come under the purview of provincial governments and they are better suited to give details of any heritage sites explored in recent years.
In the meeting a sub-committee was also constituted under Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed as its Chairman and with Dr Mehr Taj Roughani and Behramand Tangi as members to resolve issue of delay in payment of compensation to the land owners on whose land three universities were constructed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Barrister Muhammad Ali Khan Saif and Dilawar Khan will assist the Mushahid-led committee.
While discussing the delaying tactics by HEC for giving compensation to the people by the Bacha Khan University in Mardan, the mover Senator Dilawar Khan said that priority should be given to smaller land owners as they couldn’t afford hiring lawyers.
He said that they will not object if the compensation is given in tranches. The university representatives told the Committee that the matter is to be solved by provincial government and the universities themselves don’t have the requisite moiney which can collectively amount to Rs15 billion.
The sub-committee will look into the financial as well as the humanitarian dilemma of the issue and report to the Committee.
Regarding discriminatory examination system of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan the committee heard the petitioner about injustice in professional CA qualification as well as the Vice President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants about the merits and criteria of this field of education. The Committee felt that the views of the petitioner to request for more attempts after failing the exam 8 times was not tangible and the matter was disposed of.
Regarding preservation of Mehrgarh Civilisation in Balochistan the committee decided to call provincial antiquities department to the next meeting. With reference to the establishment of a separate women campus of Kohat University of Sciences and Technology, Senator Shamim Afridi informed the committee that he had transferred 190 kanals of land in name of the university.
