Islamabad, (Parliament Times) :The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions was held on Monday at Parliament Lodges, Islamabad.
Chaired by Senator Hilal-ur-Rehman, the meeting was attended by Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi, Senator Danesh Kumar, Senator Dost Muhammad Khan, Senator Anwar Lal Dean, Senator Haji Hidayatullah Khan, Senator Syed Muhammad Sabir Shahand senior officers from the Ministry of State & Frontier Regions, Department of Health Khyber PakhtunkhwaHEC and PMCalong with all concerned. Senator Anwar ulHaqKakar was a special invitee.
The agenda entailed reviewing details of non-local staff serving in hospitals in merged areas and issues pertaining to teaching and non teaching staff of the remaining Governor Model Schools in merged districts. The Committee also deliberated over the issues of extension of scholarships program for admission in medical and dental colleges and doubling of quota for universities for candidates of merged districts.
While discussing details of the non-local staff serving in hospitals of merged areas, Chairman Committee, Senator Hilal-ur-Rehman directed the Health Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to share detailed lists along with CNIC numbers so that these could be verified by NADRA.The Committee while taking-up the issue of teaching and non teaching staff of Governor Model Schools in merged districts that were established by Political Agents of the said agencies, the status of which after the 18th Amendment was left in Limbo. The Committee stressed the need for the matter to be expedited. The Department of Education Khyber Pakhtukhwa informed the Committee that status of these schools was autonomous and were placed under the administrative control of E&SE Department. In order to give legal cover to these schools the same were notified under Government Educational and Training Institutions Ordinance 1971. BOG of these schools is under process and a summary has been sent to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhawa for approval. Once approved, staff placement will begin. Committee members raised questions regarding emoluments and perks as well as source of funding.
Deliberating over details of extension of the Provision of Higher Education Opportunities scholarship program for medical students for students of erstwhile FATA and Balochistan; students contended that there is mass confusion between HEC and PMC and that the two must get together to resolve the issue. The Committee directed that the matter must be resolved at the earliest and that a circular will be passed over to PMC members for feedback. The Committee recommended that a letter should be sent on behalf of the Senate Secretariat to ensure that the matter is expedited. The committee also gave chance to students protesting against PMC to come and raise their demands before the PMC representative and to reach a conclusive decision but unfortunately the President PMC was not present in the meeting. The student were of the view that all 600 students of the three medical collages banned by PMC may be regularized without conducting any special exams because they will be filtered out if any of them failed to qualify National Licensing examination.Therefore, a Privilege Motion was carried against the President PMC, who despite many warnings, failed to show presence at the meetings.
The representative of PMC Dr. Imdadali briefed the committee that issue regarding FATA, quota of reserved seats of MBBS/ BDS from 06 to 03 in medical collages of AJ&K stands resolved and remfaining 36 seats in MBBS program for students of EX-FATA has also been approved by the authority.
