ISLAMABAD: The Senate Functional Committee on Devolution on Wednesday focused on the higher education institutions (HEIs) and instructed them to implement robust anti-harassment frameworks.
Chaired by Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro at the Parliament Lodges, the committee addressed critical lapses in institutional safety and constitutional compliance regarding the provincial representation. Senator Ghumro cited the tragic passing of Fahmida Laghari as a definitive failure of the current protective infrastructure. The HEC officials disclosed that 472 cases had been recorded, resulting in the dismissal of 53 faculty members. The committee characterised these measures as reactive rather than preventative.
The COMSATS representatives told the committee that 19 from 20 reported cases across their seven campuses were settled between 2023 and 2025, though the committee maintained that broader institutional accountability remained insufficient.
On the matter of provincial equity, the committee issued a directive for immediate enforcement of employment quotas as per the equal share mandated by Article 38(g) of the Constitution. The committee directed the Establishment Division on their brief submitted in the committee that all ministries and divisions will have to be instructed to constitute a special committee to monitor the provincial shares in the federal services and corporations and make up for the last omissions by filling the positions first from the provinces. The committee also deliberated on the ongoing challenges of devolution in the energy and education sectors.
The members formally recorded their disagreement with the Cabinet Division’s current policy framework regarding the power distribution companies (DISCOs). Consequently, the attorney general and the Privatization Commission have been called to the next committee meeting to develop a framework consistent with the devolved authority.
