ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice suggested that the constitution of Pakistan be amended and the age for working in any factory or mine or any other hazardous workplace be changed from 14 to 16 years.
A committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chaudhry Bashir Virk here on Monday at Parliament House. The committee unanimously approved the amendment Bill, 2016 (amendment of Article l), which was moved by MNA Nafeesa Inayatullah Khattak. She said that according to an International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention on the minimum age of employment, it is emphasised that the minimum age of employment “shall not less than the age completion of compulsory schooling and in any case shall not be less than 15 years old”.
She said that Pakistan was a signatory to the ILO Convention 1973, and that there was a need to make constitutional amendments to make education age of every child from 5 to 16 years, which is the responsibility of the state. Employment age should be above 16.
Secretary Law and Justice Karamat Ullah Niazi did not oppose the amendment and the committee unanimously approved it. The panel opposed another amendment in the constitution which was moved by MNA Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan. In the amendment, she suggested that a 17 percent quota should be reserved in the cabinet for women. She said women represented 54 percent of the population and currently, in the federal cabinet, there were only two women, namely Saira Afzal Tarar and Anusha Rehman, whereas Marvi Memon has a status equivalent to that of state minister. MNA Iqbal Qadri supported this amendment.
MNA Ayaz Soomro said that he belonged to a party which was run by women like Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. Benazir Bhutto not only appreciated and encouraged women in politics but she also brought them in the parliament s through general seats. He said that PPP’s Faryal Talpur, Dr. Azra Fazzal Pechuho, Dr. Fehmida Mirza and other women were elected on general seats. Representative of the Ministry of Law and Justice as well as MNAs Chaudhary Ashraf, Ali Muhammad Khan and Moeen Wattoo opposed the amendment.