Court seeks report on child labour

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday sought a complete report of allocation of funds and progress about child labour from the provincial government before the next hearing.

A division bench comprising Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Abdul Shakoor sought complete report about allocation of funds and progress report about child labour from Secretary Labour Department, Secretary Law and Human Rights Department, Secretary Industries, Secretary Social Welfare Department, KP Coordination Committee on Child Labour and Sparc, a non-government organisation working on child rights.

The court sought the report in a writ petition filed by a citizen from Peshawar through his lawyer Noor Alam Khan, seeking eradication of child labour in the province.

The petitioner is seeking an order of the court to direct the respondents to implement the laws framed for eradication of child labour, to implement the laws and stopped the child labour at different traffic signals while cleaning the cars and strictly deal the young drivers who drive the commercial vehicles without licence, which is not permissible under the Roads, Transports Workers Ordinance.

Arguing his case, Noor Alam Khan submitted before the bench that under Article 25 of Constitution all citizens are equal before the law and Article 11 (3) of Constitution that “no child under the age of 14 shall be engaged in any factory or mine or any other hazard employment.”