Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a three-year time frame for schools established in the residential areas so that they could shift to other locations in the federal capital.

A three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice, Anwar Zaheer Jamali, heard a case regarding the use of residential buildings for commercial activities in Islamabad.

During the course of the proceedings, Shahid Hamid, the counsel for the Capital Development Authority (CDA), informed the court that when the hearing of the case began some 1695 buildings in the residential areas were being used for commercial purposes and now their number was 641, including 359 schools, 90 hostels and 100 guest houses. The chief justice, however, remarked that the situation would not improve until strict action was taken against the violators. He said if the CDA took steps to stop the use of residential plots for commercial activities people came out on the streets with 100 or 200 schoolchildren.

“If action is taken against illegal activities the civil society begins to protest. Making a mountain out of a molehill has become our culture,” he added.

The SC refused to give the schools a three-year time frame to evacuate residential buildings. “Will the court wait for three years for the implementation of the law?” the CJ questioned. Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned till the first week of December.

E-learning project inaugurated at OPF Girls College: The Chairman Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) Board of Governors, Barrister Amjad Malik, on Wednesday formally inaugurated the E-Learning Initiative Project at the OPF Girls College, F-8/2.

He appreciated the E-Learning Initiative OPF for its educational institutions and said, “The OPF has become the first ever public sector organisation which introduced the E-Learning Initiative in its educational institutions.” The Managing Director, OPF Habibur Rehman Gilani and senior officials of the OPF were also present on the occasion. Addressing on this occasion, the chairman said that information technology had brought a revolution in day to day life. He said the adoption of modern technology in our educational institutions would help to improve the quality of education besides facilitating the students and teachers.

Barrister Malik said that it had been observed during his interaction with the diaspora in the UAE that thousands of children of expatriate workers were without education and schooling and the same complaints were received from Saudi Arabia.