SHC moved for uniform syllabus in all schools

The Sindh High Court on Friday issued pre-admission notices to provincial law officers, the education secretary, the private schools association and others on a petition seeking a uniform syllabus in all government and private schools of the province.

A non-governmental organisation submitted in the petition that private schools were imparting education through a curriculum of different foreign countries, which was not in conformity with Pakistan’s social and Islamic values.

It said the Sindh Textbook Board had failed to introduce a uniform syllabus in all public and private educational institutions, and as a result private schools were teaching a curriculum of foreign countries.

He alleged that the syllabus of some private school contained unethical subjects, but the education department was not taking action against them. He asked the court to direct the education department to introduce a uniform syllabus in all educational institutions in the province after getting it approved by the Sindh Textbook Board.

A division bench, headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, issued pre-admission notices to the respondents and sought their comments on May 10. The court also directed the petitioner to come prepared on the issue with regard to a uniform syllabus that fulfilled the needs of a modern education system.

Ex-CM’s plea

The SHC directed an officer of the anti-corruption establishment to file comments on a petition of an ex-chief minister against harassment and his implication in false corruption cases.

Arbab Ghulam Rahim said in the petition that the ruling party in the province was bent upon arresting him in false and fabricated cases on the basis of political enmity. He said the government was pressurising the anti-corruption establishment to initiate criminal cases against him. He asked that the government be restrained from taking coercive action against him.

The circle office of Mithi, Tharparkar, appeared before the court and sought time for filing comments, saying he had sent his opinion to the chairman of the anti-corruption establishment for approval and a reply was awaited. The court granting time adjourned the hearing till April 25.

UTP’s transfer

The Supreme Court has dismissed an application for the transfer of an under-trial prisoner (UTP) involved in terrorism cases from a Sukkur prison to a Karachi prison.

Syed Nazim Hussain is facing several cases pending before anti- terrorism courts in Karachi. His counsel, Mohammad Farooq, said the UTP had been transferred to the Sukkur prison due to security reasons though he was standing trials in ATCs in Karachi. The court observed that the petition of the applicant was pending before the Sindh High Court and till a decision on that petition it could not pass any order and dismissed the application.