LHC forms commission on students with special needs

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah Friday constituted a “child rights commission” to ensure protection and quality education of students with special needs.

Hearing a public interest petition about an incident of maltreatment with dumb and deaf children, the chief justice directed Secretary Special Education Punjab Khalid Mahmood to include lawyers, members of civil society and officers from relevant departments as members of the commission.

Earlier, the secretary told the court that law had taken its course against those involved in manhandling and maltreatment of special children in schools. Referring to the incident of Sambrial, he said inquiry against the school staff would be completed soon.

Chief Justice Shah observed that physical torture and abuse of children in schools was very pathetic. He directed the secretary to submit first report of the commission by January 29, 2018. In this case, the chief justice previously ordered the government to deploy two unarmed police personnel and install CCTV cameras in the buses transporting special children.

Advocate Syed Miqdad Mehdi had filed the petition pleading that boys and girls were subjected to torture in the bus carrying students of Daska Special Education Centre and its video also went viral on social media. He said conductors of the bus pulled students’ hair as well as abused them. He pleaded that special children got frightened due to inhuman treatment. He sought strict action against the staff involved in the maltreatment of the students.