Senate Human Rights Committee Orders Probe into Sanitary Workers’ Exploitation, Demands Action on Child Protection and Criminal Investigations
Independent Report
ISLAMABAD, July 17: The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights has called for urgent accountability over the alleged exploitation of sanitary workers, delays in child protection initiatives and the slow progress of key criminal investigations during a meeting at Parliament House chaired by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri.
The committee expressed deep concern over the suicide of sanitary worker Zeeshan Arshad in Gujranwala, reportedly linked to wage exploitation. Members scrutinized records submitted by the Gujranwala Waste Management Company (GWMC) and questioned the role of private contractors, directing authorities to produce salary records, banking transactions, tax documents and contractual agreements to determine whether workers were paid below the government-prescribed minimum wage.
The committee also sought details of compensation and insurance provided to the deceased worker’s family and emphasized strict action against those found responsible for labour rights violations.
Reviewing a cyber defamation case, the committee directed the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to conduct a formal inquiry into the alleged negligence of an official handling the matter and called for stronger enforcement against malicious online campaigns.
On child protection, the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) briefed the committee on delays affecting welfare initiatives and proposed establishing a joint task force with district authorities to strengthen rehabilitation programmes for vulnerable children.
The committee also reviewed progress in the investigation into the killing of Dr. Safdar Rajput in District Dadu. Officials informed members that a joint investigation involving the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and local police is underway. The committee directed the relevant agencies to expedite the investigation and submit a comprehensive report upon its completion.
