The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights has taken notice of the closure of 16 international NGOs working in Pakistan. The interior secretary has been asked brief the committee during its meeting to be held on November 5 about the reasons behind closure of these NGOs as well as rules and regulations devised for registration of INGOs. Ambassadors of several western and European countries in an open letter have called upon the prime minister to look into the matter. According to them, most of these INGOs were providing critical assistance to the people of Pakistan in different areas and their closure would not only affect those in need of assistance but also render thousands of Pakistani workers jobless. The Senate committee will also take up a child abuse scandal that was recently unearthed in Okara. The district police officer has been called to inform the committee of the measures taken so far to apprehend the accused and provide justice to the victims and the aggrieved families. The Senate committee has also asked the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PIERA) chairman to give a briefing on undue increase in fees charged by private schools. Published in Daily Times, October 28th 2018.